Grey wall sponge
Appearance
Grey wall sponge | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Porifera |
Class: | Demospongiae |
Order: | Tetractinellida |
Family: | Ancorinidae |
Genus: | Stelletta |
Species: | S. agulhana
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Binomial name | |
Stelletta agulhana Lendenfeld, 1907
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The grey wall sponge (Stelletta agulhana) is a species of sea sponge belonging to the family Ancorinidae.[1] It is found around the coast of Southern Africa from the Northern Cape to KwaZulu-Natal. It is an endemic species.
Description
[edit]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
[edit]This sponge lives on rocky reefs in 2-90m of water.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b 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
- ^ Jones, Georgina. A field guide to the marine animals of the Cape Peninsula. SURG, Cape Town, 2008. ISBN 978-0-620-41639-9