Timea fasciata

Topsent, 1934a

Species Overview

Timea fasciata Topsent, 1934a forms golden yellow, microhispid encrustations on rocks. The consistency is firm. It is a Mediterranean species recorded a few times from Western Europe.

Taxonomic Description

Colour: Golden yellow.
Shape, size, surface and consistency: Thinly encrusting on rocks or Posidonia . Consistency firm.
Spicules: Megascleres : Tylostyles, slightly curved, with a barely swollend elliptical head, sometimes polytylote, often the swelling some distance away from the apex, with rather blunt or stair-stepped pointed end, quite variable in size: 240-750 x 5-10 µm.
Microscleres : Asters of diverse shape: simple strongylasters with ca. 8 roughened rays ending in a spined apex, some rays tending to become divided; most asters, however, are irregular, with a broad asymmetrical centre and proliferated rays. Asters range from 8-13 µm in diameter.
Skeleton: Bundles of tylostyles erect on the substrate, points outward. Microscleres form a thick crust at the surface.
Ecology: On rocks, at 20-30 m.
Distribution: Mediterranean.
Type specimen information: The type is in the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris.

Remarks: The large range in aster shape, including the ones with proliferated rays differs from most Timea species. They do approach the asters of T . stellifasciata .
Source: Topsent, 1934a.