Xestospongia sp. indet.

Fassbender, Nico, Stefanoudis, Paris V, Filander, Zoleka Nontlantla, Gendron, Gilberte, Mah, Christopher L, Mattio, Lydiane, Mortimer, Jeanne A, Moura, Carlos J, Samaai, Toufiek, Samimi-Namin, Kaveh, Wagner, Daniel, Walton, Rowana & Woodall, Lucy C, 2021, Reef benthos of Seychelles - A field guide, Biodiversity Data Journal 9, pp. 65970-65970 : 65970

Xestospongia sp. indet.

Materials

Type status: Other material. Taxon: scientificName: Xestospongia sp. 1; kingdom: Animalia; phylum: Porifera; class: Demospongiae; order: Haplosclerida; family: Petrosiidae; genus: Xestospongia; scientificNameAuthorship: Laubenfels, 1932; Location: waterBody: Indian Ocean; country: Seychelles; locality: Aldabra W 1 ; minimumDepthInMeters: 32.4 m; maximumDepthInMeters: 35.4 m; locationRemarks: First Descent: Seychelles Expedition; Identification: identifiedBy: Nico Fassbender, Toufiek Samaai, Paris Stefanoudis; dateIdentified: 2019, 2020; identificationRemarks: identified only from imagery; Event: samplingProtocol: Submersible OR Remotely Operated Vehicle OR SCUBA; Record Level: basisOfRecord: Human observation

Notes

A massive sponge that forms large barrels. The maximum recorded length was 32 cm, although they can often reach> 1 m. While the outside surface is heavily ridged, the inside appears smooth with a stony, velvety texture. Dark brown colouration (Fig. 164).