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Tasseled sponge

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Sponge & Cnidarian

Tasseled sponge

Halichondria (Eumastia) sitiens (Schmidt, 1870)

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WoRMS AphialID

165789

Barcode BIN

<a href=BOLD:ABV8568

https://bench.boldsystems.org/index.php/Public_BarcodeCluster?clusteruri=BOLD:ABV8568 target="_blank" style="text-decoration: underline">BOLD:ABV8568

https://bench.boldsystems.org/index.php/Public_BarcodeCluster?clusteruri=BOLD:ABV8568

Sample IDs

ESS132 https://bench.boldsystems.org/index.php/MAS_DataRetrieval_OpenSpecimen?selectedrecordid=ATCSP053-23

ARC81473 https://bench.boldsystems.org/index.php/MAS_DataRetrieval_OpenSpecimen?selectedrecordid=ATCSP127-24

Collected

Labrador, Bay of Fundy, Scotian Shelf

Distinguishing Features

• External appearance (Fig. A, B, C, D): Thickly encrusting sponge. Can form patches over two metres in diameter. The surface of the sponge bears many low tassels. The colour is greenish-yellow, yellow, or brownish-yellow.

• Skeleton (Fig. F): The choanosomal skeleton consists of ascending columns of oxea (up to 100 µm thick) joined by individual spicules. The ectosomal skeleton consists of a felted layer of oxea, with no particular arrangement, which is supported by the ends of the choanosomal spicule tracts.

• Spicules (Fig. E): Long oxea tapering to sharp points. Wide size range, 360-1020 by 7–20 μm.

Habitat

Found growing on bedrock. Recorded from depths of 2 to 160 m.

Geographic Range

Type locality on the west Greenland Shelf. Occurs on both sides of the North Atlantic including Greenland, Norway, the UK, and Iceland. In the northwestern Atlantic it is common in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, in Labrador, on the Scotian Shelf and in the Bay of Fundy.

Fun Fact

Can form patches over 2 m in diameter. Large sponges such as this species provide important habitat for other animals. One study recorded 242 different species living on sponges or in their canal systems. Living on or in sponges protects animals from predators. The water currents the sponge creates benefit filter feeders.

Barcode Distribution

BIN contains specimens from Europe and North America. But other species of Halichondria do not separate well based on CO1 - some of these records are Halichondria panicea.

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