Suberites ficus | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Porifera |
Class: | Demospongiae |
Order: | Suberitida |
Family: | Suberitidae |
Genus: | Suberites |
Species: | S. ficus |
Binomial name | |
Suberites ficus Johnston, 1842 | |
Synonyms | |
List
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Suberites ficus is a species of sponge in the family Suberitidae. It is sometimes known as the sea orange sponge.
Sponges are primitive animals with little apparent internal organisation. They are composed of a jellylike mesohyl sandwiched between two layers of cells and have a fragile skeleton composed of stiff spicules. They are filter feeders, maintaining a flow of water through their structure which passes out through large openings called oscula.
The name "ficus" was first used by Pallas in 1766 for Alcyonium ficus but it is unclear exactly which animal he was describing and it is now thought that it may have been an ascidian. Linnaeus in 1767, Esper in 1794 and Lamarck in 1814 also used the name but it was not until Johnston described the spicules as well as the sponge which he named Halichondria ficus in 1842 that it became clear what sponge was being described. Further research needs to be undertaken to clarify the position. [2] Suberites suberia was at one time thought to be a synonym but molecular analysis has shown that it is a distinct species. Suberites farinaria is a similar but encrusting sponge but it is thought to be a juvenile form of S. ficus. Another species, Suberites virgultosa, used to be considered a synonym but is now considered a valid species in its own right. [2] Suberites domuncula may also be synonymous and further study is required. [3]
S. ficus is a large sponge growing up to thirty or forty centimetres across. It is usually some shade of orange or red, especially in brightly lit places, but sometimes is greyish or brownish in dimmer locations. The shape is irregular and varies, sometimes being lobose, sometimes cushion-like and sometimes encrusting. It has a smooth-looking surface but this feels rough to the touch. There are a small number of large oscules, mostly towards the top of the sponge. [4] [5]
On microscopic examination it can be seen that the megascleres are in two sizes, one twice as large as the other. There are very few microscleres, and these are one tenth of the size of the megascleres. The skeleton is composed of spicules arranged radially near the surface, but chaotically in the interior. There may be gemmules near the base of the sponge. [2]
S. ficus has a global distribution but it is more abundant in the north east and north west Atlantic Ocean than elsewhere. [6] It is widely distributed around the shores of the British Isles especially the western coasts. [5]
S. ficus is found growing on rocks from the lower shore down to a depth of two hundred metres and prefers locations with strong tidal flows. It often grows among seaweed and is also found on harbour structures and wreckage. When it grows on a stone or an empty gastropod or bivalve shell it may completely engulf it. It sometimes grows on a shell housing a living hermit crab. [4] [5]
Members of this genus are generally hermaphrodites. The male and female gametes may not be released simultaneously and sperm may be drawn into the vascular system of another individual. Fertilisation is internal and the ciliated larvae are liberated into the water column and become part of the zooplankton. Asexual reproduction also takes place, either by budding or through the development of gemmules. [1] These are "survival pods" and remain dormant under normal conditions. They can become active when a period of adverse conditions such as an excessive exposure to low temperatures comes to an end. [7]
S. ficus does not have many predators. This may be because it has an unpleasant odour or because the spicules make it unpalatable. It is eaten however by some marine gastropods and some nudibranchs. [1] It forms part of the diet of the Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus). [6]
When the sponge grows on a shell occupied by a hermit crab there may be mutual advantages to both. The sponge benefits from the crab's ability to move away from predators such as nudibranchs, while the crab may benefit from the sponge's unpalatability and the camouflage it provides. [8]
S. ficus ssp rubrus is being investigated as a possible source of antibiotics, anti-fouling and other biologically active compounds because it was noticed that when the shells of cultivated scallops, family Pectinidae, were host to this sponge, no other invertebrates fouled the shells. [9]
Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera, are a basal animal clade as a sister of the Diploblasts. They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate through them, consisting of jelly-like mesohyl sandwiched between two thin layers of cells. The branch of zoology that studies sponges is known as spongiology.
Hermit crabs are anomuran decapod crustaceans of the superfamily Paguroidea that have adapted to occupy empty scavenged mollusc shells to protect their fragile exoskeletons. There are over 800 species of hermit crab, most of which possess an asymmetric abdomen concealed by a snug-fitting shell. Hermit crabs' non-calcified abdominal exoskeleton makes their exogenous shelter system obligatory. Hermit crabs must occupy shelter produced by other organisms, or risk being defenseless.
Suberites domuncula is a species of sea sponge belonging to the family Suberitidae.
Cliona californiana, the yellow boring sponge, boring sponge or sulphur sponge, is a species of demosponge belonging to the family Clionaidae. It is native to the north-eastern Pacific Ocean and burrows into the shell valves of bivalve molluscs.
Anheteromeyenia argyrosperma is a freshwater sponge found across North America.
The cloud sponge(Aphrocallistes vastus) is a species of sea sponge in the class Hexactinellida. It is a deep-water reef-forming animal. The species was first described by F.E. Schulze in 1886.
Clathrina coriacea is a species of calcareous sponge belonging to the class Calcarea and family Clathrinidae. Species in the genus Clathrina are composed of calcium carbonate tube-like skeletons containing spicules. The sponge can be located in shallow waters widely distributed along North Atlantic coasts, as well as on other coasts.
Spicules are structural elements found in most sponges. Sponge spicules are made of calcium carbonate or silica. Large spicules visible to the naked eye are referred to as megascleres, while smaller, microscopic ones are termed microscleres. The meshing of many spicules serves as the sponge’s skeleton and thus it provides structural support and potentialy defense against predators. The composition, size, and shape of spicules are major characters in sponge systematics and taxonomy.
Chlamys hastata, the spear scallop, spiny scallop or swimming scallop, is a species of bivalve mollusc in the family Pectinidae found on the west coast of North America from the Gulf of Alaska to San Diego, California. A limited number of these scallops are harvested by divers or by narrow trawls off the west coast of Canada.
Pseudospongosorites is a genus of sea sponges belonging to the family Suberitidae. Currently, the genus is considered as monotypic, consisting of a single species Pseudospongosorites suberitoides. It is found in the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and on the Atlantic coast of the United States as far north as North Carolina. This species is known by the common name Florida hermit crab sponge, so named because hermit crabs often use it as shelter.
Spongilla lacustris, also commonly referred to as freshwater sponge, is a species of sponges from the family Spongillidae. They inhabit 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.
Epiactis prolifera, the brooding, proliferating or small green anemone, is a species of marine invertebrate in the family Actiniidae. It is found in the north-eastern Pacific. It has a feature rare among animals in that all individuals start life as females but develop testes later in their lives to become hermaphrodites.
Sycon raphanus is a species of marine invertebrate, a calcareous sponge belonging to the family Sycettidae. The name derives from the Greek, "raphanus", meaning radish, and presumably refers to the sponge's shape.
Myxilla incrustans is a species of demosponge. It is an encrusting species and is usually yellow.
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.
Gorgonia ventalina, the purple sea fan, is a species of sea fan, an octocoral in the family Gorgoniidae. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.
Mycale adhaerens, the purple scallop sponge, is a species of marine demosponge in the family Mycalidae. Mycale is a large genus and this species is placed in the subgenus Aegogropila making its full name, Mycale (Aegogropila) adhaerens. It grows symbiotically on the valves of scallop shells and is native to the west coast of North America.
Paguristes eremita, the eye spot hermit crab, is a species of hermit crab in the family Diogenidae. It is found in the Mediterranean Sea.
Pagurus dalli, commonly known as the whiteknee hermit, is a species of hermit crab in the family Paguridae. It is found in the northeastern Pacific Ocean at depths down to about 276 m (900 ft). It usually lives in a mutualistic symbiosis with a sponge, or sometimes a hydroid.
Dysidea etheria, commonly known as the ethereal sponge or heavenly sponge, is a species of lobate sponge within the class Demospongiae. This marine sponge is known for its light blue color and can be found in the Caribbean as well as off the coasts of Florida and Georgia. Like all other poriferans, D. etheria is capable of both sexual and asexual reproduction. The use of spicule collection as well as chemical defenses allows D. etheria to protect itself against predators such as the zebra doris and the orange knobby star. D. etheria is also known as a host species of the invasive brittle star Ophiothela mirabilis. Lastly, various molecular biology studies have utilized D. etheria to both study foreign particle transport in sponges and to isolate novel molecules.