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A sponge
Sponge & Cnidarian
A sponge
Biemna variantia (Bowerbank, 1858)
WoRMS AphialID
133205
Sample IDs
ARC 81452 https://bench.boldsystems.org/index.php/MAS_DataRetrieval_OpenSpecimen?selectedrecordid=ATCSP806-25; ARC 81451 https://bench.boldsystems.org/index.php/MAS_DataRetrieval_OpenSpecimen?selectedrecordid=ATCSP807-25
Collected
Scotian Shelf
Distinguishing Features
• External appearance (Fig. A): Thickly encrusting yellow sponge which has a bumpy/hispid surface cause by projecting spicule tracts.
• Skeleton (Fig. B): Ascending fibres of styles joined by smaller fibres and loose styles. Microscleres abundant throughout the tissue.
• Spicules: Styles (Fig. C) 582(1002)1211 by 11(16)24 µm, Microxea and rhaphides (Fig. D) 189(232)259 by 0.9(1.3)1.7 µm. Sigmata (Fig. D), which seem to be in three categories 20–40, 44–91, and 108–166 µm.
Habitat
Growing on bedrock, boulders, and cobbles. Depths 0-250 m.
Geographic Range
Type locality is from the intertidal in Tenby, Wales, UK. This species is found in the Arctic and south to around 40°N, it is widespread in the British Isles. Recent Canadian records from the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Scotian Shelf.
Fun Fact
Lundbeck reported several species from East Greenland in depths of up to 250 m. These include Biemna hamifera (Lundbeck, 1902) and Biemna variantia hamifera (Lundbeck, 1902). These are currently considered synonyms as are other northern species such as Biemna groenlandica (Fristedt, 1887). But given the variation in spicules found in specimens of B. varianta this synonymy might need to be revisited, aided by new molecular data.
Barcode Distribution
BIN contains specimens of Biemna megalosigma (a South African species).
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