Grey wall sponge

grey wall sponge
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Porifera
Class: Demospongiae
Order: Astrophorida
Family: Ancorinidae
Genus: Stelletta
Species: S. agulhana
Binomial name
Stelletta agulhana
Lendenfeld, 1907

The grey wall sponge, Stelletta agulhana, is a species of demosponge belonging to the family Ancorinidae.[1] It is found around the South African coast from the Northern Cape to KwaZulu-Natal. It is endemic.

Description

The grey wall sponge may grow to 10 cm thick and 40–50 cm in length. It is a massive grey sponge with fine spicules protruding from its surface. It has a stony texture, with small oscula visible on the upper surface.[1]

Habitat

This sponge lives on rocky reefs in 2-90m of water.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 Samaai, T. and Gibbons, M.J. 2005. Demospongiae taxonomy and biodiversity of the Benguela region on the west coast of South Africa. Afr. Nat. Hist. 1(1):1-96
  2. ↑ Jones, Georgina. A field guide to the marine animals of the Cape Peninsula. SURG, Cape Town, 2008. ISBN 978-0-620-41639-9


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