Crella pyrula

(Carter, 1876)

Species Overview

Crella pyrula (Carter, 1876) is a stalked yellowish sponge with a wedge-shaped lobate main body. It occurs in northern and western deep water areas.

Taxonomic Description

Colour: Whitish or greenish yellow.
Shape, size, surface and consistency: Stalked, wedge-shaped or lobate-divided. Height up to 7 cm. Surface smooth, crowded with areolated porefields. Oscular tubes mostly on the upper surface. Consistency rather firm.
Spicules: (Crella pyrula spics) (Cometella pyrula spics ) Megascleres : Tornotes oxea-like: 350-580 x 5-11 µm; acanthostyles of the surface skeleton: 110-200 x 5-14 µm.
Microscleres : Arcuate isochelae: 20-26 µm.
Skeleton: Ectosomal : a feltwork of tangentially arranged acanthostyles; the areolated porefields only contain chelae. Choanosomal : an axial skeleton of tornotes strengthens the stalk and from there bundles of tornotes diverge to support the main body; single acanthostyles are strewn in the choanosome.
Ecology: 130-700 m
Distribution: SW Ireland, Sweden, Norway, Arctic.
Etymology: Pyrula (Greek) = little pear, referring to the habit.
Type specimen information: The type is is in the Natural History Museum, London: BMNH 1882:7:28:11 (wet + 3 slides).

Remarks

The present species may be easily distinguished from the other Crella species of the area by its stalked habitus and large size of the tornotes.
Source: Arndt, 1935.