Synonyms: (basyonim) Lithothamnium mamillosum Hauck (1885) p. 272; Lithothamnium haucki Rothpletz (1891) p. 295; Goniolithon brassica-florida Foslie (1905) p. 20-35; Lithophyllum haucki Lemoine (1924) p. 122; Spongites mamillosa (Hauck) Ballesteros (1990) p. 39; Spongites hauckii (Rothpletz) Ballesteros (1993) p. 516.

VEGETATIVE FEATURES

Thallus habit: encrusting, adherent, simple or mamillate, with knobbly excrescences (rarely ramified). Coarsely lobed, frayed margin; edge grown thin. Size: diameter up to 24cm (20-30cm in deeper specimens), thickness 0.5-1mm. Colour of living specimen: from pale pink to grey. Colour of dried specimen: from grey mauve to dirty white. 

Basal crust: multistratose (excrescences formed by erect filaments), multilayered; compact tissue. Basal filaments: not well developed, formed by more or less loosely aggregated filaments, not coaxial”; more developed in free parts of thallus; rectangular cells: (5-15) 18 (28)µm long x (3) 6-7 (9)µm diameter. Erect filaments: ovoid rectangular cells: (5-7) 9 (12)µm long x 5-8µm diameter (overlapped areas formed by small cells often arranged in rows have been found). Epithallial cells: flattened but not flared, 11-17µm in diameter (A). Cell connections: cell fusions. Other features: trichocytes in vertical rows.

Gametangial conceptacles: spermatangial flask-shaped; carpogonial diameter up to 1500µm (350-730µm in diameter x 225-380µm high). Tetra/bisporangial conceptacles: uniporate, numerous, slightly raised, hemispherical, conical or flask-shaped (B); presence of a columella; 400-1000µm outer diameter, inner diameter 280-410µm x 100-200µm high. Phenology: April, May, June (to be defined!).

Habitat: more frequent in shaded sites exposed to waves and currents action. It may be  recorded particularly in the lower part of “encorbellement” a Lithophyllum byssoides, and in coralligene environment association with Lithophyllum stictaeforme or in other sampling sites ("trottoir a vermetidi” mixed with N. brassica-florida). Bathymetric distribution: from littoral to sublittoral, from surface to about 35m deep. Geographic distribution (Babbini & Bressan 1997):

Western Mediterranean Sea (African shores) (B): Algeria; Middle Western Mediterranean Sea (C): Spain, France, Italy; North Western Mediterranean Sea (D): Spain, France, Italy; North Adriatic Sea (E): Italy, Croatia; Middle Adriatic Sea (F): Italy, Croatia; South Adriatic Sea (G): Italy, Albania; South Eastern Mediterranean Sea (H): Italy, Malta, Tunisia, Libya; Middle Eastern Mediterranean Sea (L): Italy, Greece, Syria; North Eastern Mediterranean Sea (M): Greece.