Black stink sponge
The black stink sponge (Ircinia arbuscula), is a species of sea sponge in the family Irciniidae.[1] This sponge is known around the Australian coast and around South Africa from the Cape Peninsula to Cape Agulhas.[2]
| black stink sponge | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Porifera |
| Class: | Demospongiae |
| Order: | Dictyoceratida |
| Family: | Irciniidae |
| Genus: | Ircinia |
| Species: | I. arbuscula |
| Binomial name | |
| Ircinia arbuscula (Hyatt, 1877) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Description
The black stink sponge grows in crusts of 1–2 cm thick and 10–20 cm across. It is a black encrusting sponge which forms a mat on rocks. Its surface is textured, and the sponge is firm and slippery to touch. Its oscula are inconspicuous. When collected, the smell is distinctive.[2][3]
Habitat
This sponge lives on rocky reefs subtidally down to 180m.
References
- http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=344756 accessed 25 November 2010
- 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
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