Polymastia (sponge)

Polymastia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Porifera
Class:	Demospongiae
Order:	Hadromerida
Family:	Polymastiidae
Genus:	Polymastia Bowerbank, 1863
Species
30+, see text

Polymastia is a genus of sponges (Porifera) containing about 30 species. These are small to large encrusting or dome-shaped sponges with a smooth surface having many teat-shaped projections (papillae). In areas of strong wave action, this genus does not grow the teat structures, but instead grows in a corrugated form.

The image depicts Polymastia pachymastia, often called "aggregated nipple sponge", a species found off the coast of northern California.

Its species include:

• Polymastia agglutinans
• Polymastia aurantium
• Polymastia bicolor
• Polymastia boletiformis [1]
• Polymastia bursa
• Polymastia conigera
• Polymastia crassa
• Polymastia craticia
• Polymastia croceus
• Polymastia echinus
• Polymastia fusca

• Polymastia granulosa image
• Polymastia grimaldi
• Polymastia hirsuta
• Polymastia inflata
• Polymastia invaginata image
• Polymastia isidis
• Polymastia lorum
• Polymastia mamillaris
• Polymastia massilis
• Polymastia megasclera

• Polymastia mespilus
• Polymastia penicillus [2]
• Polymastia pepo
• Polymastia rubens
• Polymastia spinula
• Polymastia tapetum
• Polymastia thielei
• Polymastia uberrima
• Polymastia umbraculum
• Polymastia zitteli

References

• North East Atlantic Taxa
• Michelle Kelly-Borges & Patricia R. Bergquist (1997). "Revision of Southwest Pacific Polymastiidae (Porifera: Demospongiae: Hadromerida) with descriptions of new species of Polymastia Bowerbank, Tylexocladus Topsent, and Acanthopolymastia gen. nov. from New Zealand and the Norfolk Ridge, New Caledonia". New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 31 (3): 367–402. doi:10.1080/00288330.1997.9516772. http://www.rsnz.org/publish/nzjmfr/1997/32.pdf.