An overview of the Mediterranean cave-dwelling horny sponges (Porifera, Demospongiae) Author Manconi, Renata Author Cadeddu, Barbara Author Ledda, Fabio Author Pronzato, Roberto text ZooKeys 2013 281 1 68 http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.281.4171 journal article http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.281.4171 1313-2970-281-1 Dysidea avara (Schmidt, 1862) Fig. 8 Spongelia avara Schmidt, 1862: 29. Description. Growth form usually irregularly massive (2-4 cm large, 1-2 cm thick) and commonly lobate. Specimens with large size (15-20 cm in diameter) and long digitations (5 cm) not infrequent. Colour constantly light rose-violet. Surface free of foreign debris, conulose with a regular fibrous network interconnecting apices of conules; conules large (3-6 mm high, 2-6 mm apart, sometimes clubbed). Oscules (4-10 mm in diameter) apical on digitations with a very delicate transluscent collar (2-4 mm) sometimes evident in living specimens; inhalant apertures (30-50 µm in diameter) scattered . Choanosome lax with ovoid choanocyte chambers (70 µm in diameter). Skeleton as a three-dimensional network of irregular polygonal meshes (100-800 µm ) with primary fibres extremely variable in size (60-300 µm ) constantly and heavily filled by foreign material; secondary ones (20-40 µm ) with light and laminated spongin almost regularly free of debris or with scattered grains. Reproduction reported in June. Habitat. Cave, coralligenous community, artificial reefs, rocky/muddy/detritic bottom, lagoon, Posidonia oceanica meadow. Bathymetric range 1-100 m. Mediterranean caves. Blava, Meda Petita, Petita de la Vaca, Blue, Misidacis caves (Balearic Sea); Galatea*, Falco*, Bisbe* caves (Sardinian Sea); Bear , Troc, Endoume caves (Gulf of Lions), Bergeggi Cave (Ligurian Sea); Taccio Vecchio 1 Cave-Lampedusa* (Sicily Channel); Sifone Cave (Ionian Sea); Croatian, Columbera, Strazica caves (Northern Adriatic Sea); Sorrentino, Spido, Bue Marino caves (Southern Adriatic Sea); Fara Cave (Aegean Sea) ( Boury-Esnault 1971 ; Pouliquen 1972 ; Pulitzer-Finali and Pronzato 1980 ; Bibiloni et al. 1984a , b ; Bianchi and Morri 1994 ; Corriero et al. 2000 ; Novosel et al. 2002 ; Marti et al. 2004 ; Faresi et al. 2006 ; Turon et al. 2009 ; Denitto et al. 2010 ; Pronzato and Manconi 2011 ; Bakran-Petricioli et al. 2012 ; Cadeddu 2012 ; Gerovasileiou and Voultsiadou 2012 ). Figure 8 Dysidea avara . a massive specimen (ca. 5 cm in diameter) showing a large osculum b, c the skeletal network with primary (cored) and secondary (almost uncored) fibres.