Hymeniacidon kitchingi

Hymeniacidon kitchingi
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Porifera
Class:	Demospongiae
Order:	Suberitida
Family:	Halichondriidae
Genus:	Hymeniacidon
Species:	H. kitchingi
Binomial name
	Hymeniacidon kitchingi; (Burton, 1935)
Synonyms
	Rhaphidostyla kitchingiBurton, 1935;

Last updated December 08, 2022

Hymeniacidon kitchingi is a species of sponge in the class Demospongiae. It is found in shallow waters in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. This species was first described in 1935 by the British zoologist Maurice Burton. He placed it in a new genus because of its unusual spicules, and named it Rhaphidostyla kitchingi, in honour of Dr J. A. Kitching, who had collected the original specimen.^[2] It was later transferred to the genus Hymeniacidon .

Description

Hymeniacidon kitchingi is a small species forming cushions not exceeding 15 cm³ (1 cu in) in volume. The shape is very variable, with irregular lobes and various short, thin projections and more bulbous projections. Several ducts converge into each oscula; these exhalant openings are raised slightly above the surface and have transparent margins, but they are relatively inconspicuous. The surface of this sponge may be slightly rough, the texture is soft and compressible but porous, and the tissue crumbles easily. The general colour is grey or beige, sometimes tinged with pink or purple.^[3] The skeleton contains long, slender styles, megascleres with one end pointed and the other end rounded; the blunt end of each has a series of abrupt narrowings which gives a stepped effect. Some of these megascleres are scattered throughout the mesogloea while others are formed into wispy bundles supporting the surface of the sponge. Hymeniacidon kitchingi could be confused with Halichondria bowerbanki , but that species has longer, more slender lobes and a different range of spicules. Another similar species is Haliclona viscosa , but in that species, the oscula are on the ends of conical projections and are more noticeable.^[3]

Distribution and habitat

Hymeniacidon kitchingi is native to the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, where its range extends from Scotland southwards to Finistère in northern France, and includes the western parts of the English Channel. It has also been reported from the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. It grows on rocks in the littoral zone and shallow sub-littoral zone, as well as on the holdfasts and stipes of kelp such as Saccharina latissima . It prefers areas where there is strong wave action. It also occurs as an epiphyte of large seaweeds and an epibiont of the bryozoans Cellaria and Pentapora .^[3]

Ecology

Sponges draw water in through small pores, filter out the organic particles less than 2μm in diameter, and expel the water and any larger particles through the oscula. The diet of Hymeniacidon kitchingi is mainly bacteria, unicellular algae, and organic debris. It has been calculated that a 10 cm³ (0.6 cu in) sponge can filter 22.5 L (5 imp gal; 6 US gal) of water per day.^[3] The sponge is a hermaphrodite. After fertilisation, the embryos are brooded inside the sponge, and when they reach the last embryonic stage, they pass out through the oscula into the water column. They drift with the plankton, and after a few hours, settle on the seabed, attach themselves to the substrate and become juvenile sponges. The sponge can also reproduce asexually by budding, and like all sponges, it has great powers of regeneration.^[3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Anheteromeyenia argyrosperma</i> Species of sponge

Anheteromeyenia argyrosperma is a freshwater sponge found across North America.

Hymeniacidon is a genus of sea sponges in the class Demospongiae. Some members of the genus are known to be mobile, achieving speeds of between 1 and 4 mm per day.

Clathrina ceylonensis is a species of calcareous sponge from Sri Lanka. The species name is derived from Ceylon, the former name of Sri Lanka.

The orange wall sponge is a species of sea sponge belonging to the order Trachycladida. It is found in the south Atlantic and Indo-Pacific oceans. Around the South African coast, it is known from the Cape Peninsula to Cape Agulhas.

Spongilla lacustris is a species of freshwater sponge from the family Spongillidae. It inhabits freshwater rivers and lakes, often growing under logs or rocks. Lacustris is a Latin word meaning "related to or associated with lakes". The species ranges from North America to Europe and Asia. It is the most common freshwater sponge in central Europe. It is the most widespread sponge in Northern Britain, and is one of the most common species of sponges in lakes and canals. Spongilla lacustris have the ability to reproduce both sexually and asexually. They become dormant during winter. The growth form ranges from encrusting, to digitate, to branched, depending upon the quality of the habitat.

<i>Spongia officinalis</i> Species of sponge

Spongia officinalis, better known as a variety of bath sponge, is a commercially used sea sponge. Individuals grow in large lobes with small openings and are formed by a mesh of primary and secondary fibers. It is light grey to black in color. It is found throughout the Mediterranean Sea up to 100 meters deep on rocky or sandy surfaces.

Suberites ficus is a species of sponge in the family Suberitidae. It is sometimes known as the sea orange sponge.

Homaxinella balfourensis is a species of sea sponge in the family Suberitidae. It is found in the seas around Antarctica and can grow in two forms, either branching out in one plane like a fan or forming an upright club-like structure.

Neofibularia nolitangere, commonly known as the touch-me-not sponge, is a species of sea sponge in the family Biemnidae. It is found in shallow waters in the Western Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.

Aaptos papillata is a species of sea sponge belonging to the family Suberitidae. This species was first described in 1880. It is native to the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, the English Channel and the Mediterranean Sea.

Agelas flabelliformis, also known as the elephant ear sponge, is a species of demosponge. It takes the form of a large leathery slender flap and is found in the Caribbean area at depths down to 100 metres (330 ft).

Corticium candelabrum is a species of sponge in the order Homosclerophorida. It is native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea where it inhabits the shallow sublittoral zone. The type locality is the Adriatic Sea.

Biemna variantia is a species of sponge in the family Biemnidae. It is native to the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. This species was first described in 1858 by the British naturalist James Scott Bowerbank, who gave it the name Halichondria variantia. It was later moved to the genus Biemna and is the type species of the genus. The type locality is Tenby, Wales.

Aplysina aerophoba is a species of sponge in the family Aplysinidae. It is a yellow, tube-forming or encrusting sponge and is native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea; the type locality is the Adriatic Sea.

Halisarca caerulea is a species of sponge in the family Halisarcidae. It is native to the Caribbean Sea and was first described in 1987 by the French marine biologists Jean Vacelet and Claude Donadey.

Polymastia boletiformis is a species of sponge belonging to the family Polymastiidae. It is found in the Arctic Ocean and on both sides of the North Atlantic Ocean.

Mycale anisochela, the brain sponge, is a species of demosponge from South Africa and Namibia.

Oscarella tuberculata is a species of sponge in the order Homosclerophorida. It is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea, where it forms encrusting colonies on rocks and other hard surfaces.

Monanchora arbuscula is a species of marine demosponge in the family Crambeidae.

Monanchora is a genus of demosponges belonging to the family Crambeida. The genus contains 18 species, which have been researched for their potential use in medicine.

References

1 2 van Soest, Rob W.M. (2020). "Hymeniacidon kitchingi (Burton, 1935)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 30 August 2020.
1 2 Burton, Maurice (1935). "Notes on British sponges, with a description of a new genus and species". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 15 (90): 651–653. doi:10.1080/00222933508655013.
1 2 3 4 5 Le Granché, Philippe & André, Frédéric (8 August 2019). "Hymeniacidon kitchingi (Burton, 1935)" (in French). DORIS. Retrieved 30 August 2020.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[WoRMS-1] 1 2 van Soest, Rob W.M. (2020). "Hymeniacidon kitchingi (Burton, 1935)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 30 August 2020.

[Burton-2] 1 2 Burton, Maurice (1935). "Notes on British sponges, with a description of a new genus and species". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 15 (90): 651–653. doi:10.1080/00222933508655013.

[Doris-3] 1 2 3 4 5 Le Granché, Philippe & André, Frédéric (8 August 2019). "Hymeniacidon kitchingi (Burton, 1935)" (in French). DORIS. Retrieved 30 August 2020.

[1]

[2]

[3]