Polymastia umbraculum is a species of sea sponge belonging to the family Polymastiidae. It is only known from rocky subtidal habitats around Kawau Island off the North Island of New Zealand.
| Polymastia umbraculum | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Porifera |
| Class: | Demospongiae |
| Order: | Polymastiida |
| Family: | Polymastiidae |
| Genus: | Polymastia |
| Species: | P. umbraculum
|
| Binomial name | |
| Polymastia umbraculum Kelly-Borges & Bergquist, 1997
| |
This is a thickly encrusting sponge with a very firm texture, growing in loosely attached patches up to 7 cm across. The granular outer layer is brilliant yellow-orange with a rather darker interior carrying many symbiont foraminifera. It is often infested with the parasitic amphipod Polycheria antarctica.
References
edit- Michelle Kelly-Borges & Patricia R. Bergquist (1997). "Revision of Southwest Pacific Polymastiidae (Porifera: Demospongiae: Hadromerida) with descriptions of new species of Polymastia Bowerbank, Tylexocladus Topsent, and Acanthopolymastia gen. nov. from New Zealand and the Norfolk Ridge, New Caledonia" (PDF). New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research. 31 (3): 367–402. doi:10.1080/00288330.1997.9516772.[permanent dead link]
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