Description:-

Sponge bushy, branches 5-8 mm in diameter. Oscules marinal, 2 mm in diameter. Symbiotic alga Ceratodictyon spongiosum (Zanard) present and its filaments ornament the growing tips. Colour: Dark brown. Surface smooth except at the growing tips. A well-developed dermal skeleton of tangentially placed oxeas and microscleres present; thickness 0.016 mm. Main skeleton consists of spicular bands running to the surface. Outline of these bands ill-defined and composed of 2-5 spicules in cross section. Spongin sparsely visible. Secondary meshes are triangular, each side composed of one spicule cemented together at the corners by spongin. Spicules: (1) Oxeas slightly curved and sharply pointed, size 0.141-0.211 mm (0.172 mm) × 0.004-0.008 mm (0.006 mm); (2) Sigmas ' C ' shaped with a notch at the centre, size 0.015-0.022 (0.018 mm)

Threats:-

Not recorded

Remark:-

Collected from Kerala coast (Bijukumar, Unpublished data)

Habitat:-

Synonyms:-

Adocia fibulatus (Schmidt, 1862)
Amorphina couchii (Bowerbank, 1874)
Asychis fibulata (Schmidt, 1862)
Gellius couchii (Bowerbank, 1874)
Gellius fibulatus (Schmidt, 1862)
Gellius jugosus (Bowerbank, 1866)
Gellius pyrrhi Hanitsch, 1895)
Halichondria couchii Bowerbank, 1867)
Haliclona (Gellius) pyrrhi Hanitsch, 1895)
Haliclona fibulata (Schmidt, 1862)
Haliclona pyrrhi (Hanitsch, 1895)
Isodictya jugosa Bowerbank, 1866 )
Reniera fibulata Schmidt, 1862)
Sigmadocia fibulata (Schmidt, 1862)

References:-

van Soest, R. (2014). Haliclona (Gellius) fibulata (Schmidt, 1862). In: Van Soest, R.W.M; Boury-Esnault, N.; Hooper, J.N.A.; Rützler, K.; de Voogd, N.J.; Alvarez de Glasby, B.; Hajdu, E.; Pisera, A.B.; Manconi, R.; Schoenberg, C.; Janussen, D.; Tabachnick, K.R., Klautau, M.; Picton, B.; Kelly, M.; Vacelet, J.; Dohrmann, M.; Díaz, M.-C.; Cárdenas, P. (2014) World Porifera database. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=132796 on 2015-01-30
Thomas, P.A. 1976. Marine demospongiae of Ras Iwatine (Kenya). J . mar. biol Ass. India, 18 ( 3 ) : 642-649