| Common names: |
None. |
| Growth Form: |
Conical lobate, amorphous mass. |
| Surface: |
Covered with sediment and partly overgrown by algae. The surface under the sediment is irregularly covered by large flat tubercles 3-5 mm across and 1-2 mm high. |
| Color: |
Usually white or light grey due to sediment cover, with dark oscules. Brown or blackish brown when cleaned. |
| Consistency: |
Firm, tough, slightly compressible. |
| Exudate: |
None. |
| Oscules: |
Prominent, large, dark-rimmed, at the top of lobes, often 2 cm or more across. |
| Skeletal components (Spicules, fibers): |
Rods thickest in the middle and tapering toward both ends, with one end rounded and the other end pointed (strongyloxea), 800-1500 x 10-30 μm. Two kinds of microscleres: small stars with 8 regular blunt-tipped rays (strongylaster), 10-15 μm across; larger stars with pointed conical rays (megaster), 30-80 μm across. |
| Skeletal Architecture: |
Exterior: The endings of strong bundles of spicules push up the surface as flattened tubercles, with an outer cover of small star spicules. Interior: Large spicules make thick bundles, which radiate and subdivide into thinner bundles. Larger star spicules are scattered in the interior. Sediment particles occur among the spicule bundles. No visible spongin. |
| Ecology: |
In shallow lagoons on sediment-covered bottoms. |
| Distribution: |
Reported reliably only from the bay side of the Florida Keys. |
| Notes: |
Very few species are so densely covered in sediment as T. keyensis and T. crypta. T. keyensis is brown and more conical. T. crypta may be virtually indistinguishable on sight but is more low-growing and hemispherical with smaller more regularly spaced surface tubercles. Its sediment cover appears denser and the color underneath is blackish green. The large star spicules are smaller than those of T. crypta, and the rays have irregular, forked endings. Spheciospongia vesparium occurs in the same habitat, and low-growing specimens may look similar. However, it has clustered oscules and is either more distinctly black or, in pale specimens, lighter brown. Geodia gibberosa also occurs in similar habitats and is usually covered with sediment and an algal turf, but has a sieve plate of numerous small openings. Spongia species may be similar but are not covered with sediment and are usually truly black rather than blackish brown. Stelletta kallitetilla may appear similar when covered with sediment, but is yellow-brown with many flush oscules scattered over the entire surface. |
| Reference(s): |
Sarà & Bavestrello (1996). |
| Similar species: |
Tectitethya crypta |
Spongia pertusa |
Spongia obscura |
Spheciospongia vesparium |
Geodia gibberosa |
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