Orange wall sponge

The orange wall sponge (Trachycladus spinispirulifer) is a species of sea sponge belonging to the order Trachycladida.[1] 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.[2]

Orange wall sponge
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Porifera
Class: Demospongiae
Order: Trachycladida
Family: Trachycladidae
Genus: Trachycladus
Species:
T. spinispirulifer
Binomial name
Trachycladus spinispirulifer
(Carter, 1879)
Synonyms
  • Spirastrella dilatata Kieschnick, 1896
  • Spirastrella spinispirulifera (Carter, 1879)
  • Suberites spinispirulifer Carter, 1879
  • Trachycladus spinispirulifera [lapsus]

Description

The orange wall sponge may grow to 20 cm thick and up to 2m in length. It is a very large firm orange-skinned sponge with a yellow interior. It grows as a wall and does not show obvious oscula.[1]

Habitat

This sponge lives on rocky reefs in 5-350m of water.[2]

References
  1. 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
  2. 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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