Axinella nayaritensis
Taxonomy
This page represents the following TreeOfLife-200M taxonomic path.[1]
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Porifera
- Class: Demospongiae
- Order: Axinellida
- Family: Axinellidae
- Genus: Axinella
- Species: Axinella nayaritensis
Visual Description
Axinella nayaritensis is an erect, branching sponge forming cylindrical ramified structures with a rough/corrugated surface. In situ and survey images depict a compact, bushy morphology (rather than a thin sheet/encrustation).
Species Accounts and Identification
Field and survey accounts emphasize spicule-based diagnosis. The species is described as an orange sponge in life that turns brown after preservation in alcohol. Megascopic skeletal structure is described as a condensed axial center expanding toward the surface, with many styles projecting beyond the surface and forming brush-like groups.
Distribution and Habitat
Published records and occurrence data place A. nayaritensis on shallow rocky reefs in the eastern Tropical Pacific. In the MAFIS survey, it was recorded at reef sites (Maculís and El Flor) at approximately 3–8 m depth.
Gallery
References
- ↑ Dataset view for Animalia / Porifera / Demospongiae / Axinellida / Axinellidae / Axinella / nayaritensis constructed from imageomics/TreeOfLife-200M records under this taxonomic path. Hugging Face Datasets. https://huggingface.co/datasets/imageomics/TreeOfLife-200M.