Crumb-of-bread sponge

Crumb-of-bread sponge
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Porifera
Class:	Demospongiae
Order:	Suberitida
Family:	Halichondriidae
Genus:	Hymeniacidon
Species:	H. perlevis
Binomial name
Hymeniacidon perlevis (Montagu, 1818)
Synonyms
List Axinella cristagalliMaas, 1894 Halichondria caruncula(Bowerbank, 1858) Halichondria macularisJohnston, 1846 Halichondria sanguinea(Grant, 1826) Hymeniacidon aldousiiBowerbank, 1874 Hymeniacidon aurea(Montagu, 1814) Hymeniacidon carunculaBowerbank, 1858 Hymeniacidon consimilisBowerbank, 1866 Hymeniacidon hillieriBowerbank, 1882 Hymeniacidon mammeataBowerbank, 1866 Hymeniacidon mediusBowerbank, 1874 Hymeniacidon perleve [lapsus] Hymeniacidon radiosaBowerbank, 1874 Hymeniacidon sanguinea(Grant, 1826) Hymeniacidon virgulatusBowerbank, 1882 Hymeniacidon viridansBowerbank, 1866 Isodictya uniformisBowerbank, 1866 Polymastia mammeata(Bowerbank, 1866) Raphiodesma simplissimaBowerbank, 1874 Reniera uniformis(Bowerbank, 1866) Spongia aureaMontagu, 1814 Spongia perlevisMontagu, 1814 Spongia sanguineaGrant, 1826 Stylinos uniformis(Bowerbank, 1866) Stylotella simplissima(Bowerbank, 1874) Stylotella uniformis(Bowerbank, 1866) Suberites paludumSchmidt, 1868

The crumb-of-bread sponge (Hymeniacidon perlevis) is a species of sea sponge in the class Demospongiae.

Description

The crumb-of-bread sponge is a thickly encrusting sponge with a glistening bumpy surface. Specimens found intertidally are bright yellow. Specimens from deeper water are darker. The sponge has been found to have a certain scent, it's been described as exploded gunpowder. The oscula are scattered across the surface of the sponge and may be flush with the sponge surface or on raised mounds. ^[1] The form of the sponge is variable, depending on its environment. In sheltered areas, branched structures grow from the base. In areas with wave action the surface is convoluted or flat. ^[2]

Distribution and habitat

The crumb-of-bread sponge is found in the northern Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, as well as around the southern African coast from the northern Cape to Port St Johns. It lives from the intertidal zone in tide pools to a maximum depth of about 15 meters (about 50 feet).

References

1. Branch, G.M., Branch, M.L, Griffiths, C.L. and Beckley, L.E (2005): Two Oceans: a guide to the marine life of southern Africa ISBN   0-86486-672-0
2. Jones, Georgina. A field guide to the marine animals of the Cape Peninsula. SURG, Cape Town, 2008. ISBN   978-0-620-41639-9