Haliclona (Soestella) mamillata ( Griessinger, 1971 )

Haliclona (Soestella) mamillata ( Griessinger, 1971) View in CoL

( Figure 17 View FIGURE 17 )

Haliclona mamillata Griessinger, 1971: 132 View in CoL , fig. 5b, 6c, j, pl. 1, fig. 3,

Haliclona (Soestella) mamillata, de Weerdt, 2000: 7 View in CoL .

Material examined: ESFM-POR / 2017-505 , S12, 15 m, on stone, 1 specimen .

Description: Specimens are in massive form and have a height of 3 cm. Its color changes to brown in alcohol. The body is fragile and soft. Osculum (diameter: 2–5 mm) are located on volcano-like projections. ( Figure 17a View FIGURE 17 ) The outer surface is smooth. The curved oxea (130–200 × 5–10 μm) that make up the skeleton are slender and pointed ( Figure 17b View FIGURE 17 ). Both the ectosomal and choanosomal skeletons tend to form circular networks ( Figure 17c View FIGURE 17 ). The spongin is present only at the contact points of the spicules.

Habitat and distribution: This species is found on cave walls at a depth of 25 m ( Lent & de Weerdt 1987), It was recorded on Peyssonnelia and Vidalia volubilis at a depth of 30–40 m ( Griessinger 1971) and on stones at a depth of 45 m ( Pansini 1987). It is an endemic species to the Mediterranean ( de Voogd et al. 2024), known from the Adriatic ( Griessinger 1971), Aegean ( Griessinger 1971), Ionian ( Pansini 1987) and Ligurian ( Lent and Weerdt 1987, Griessinger 1971) Seas. This is a new record for the marine fauna of Türkiye.