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Breadcrumb sponge
Sponge & Cnidarian
Breadcrumb sponge
Halichondria (Halichondria) panicea (Pallas, 1766)
WoRMS AphialID
165853
Sample IDs
ESS251 https://bench.boldsystems.org/index.php/MAS_DataRetrieval_OpenSpecimen?selectedrecordid=ATCSP078-23;
ESS80 https://bench.boldsystems.org/index.php/MAS_DataRetrieval_OpenSpecimen?selectedrecordid=ATCSP045-23;
ESS263 https://bench.boldsystems.org/index.php/MAS_DataRetrieval_OpenSpecimen?selectedrecordid=ATCSP082-23
Collected
Bay of Fundy, Scotian Shelf, Labrador
Distinguishing Features
• External appearance (Fig. A, B, C): Form varies from thick crust to massive with lobes. Massive specimens have low lobes or ridges, which usually bear terminal oscula. Encrusting specimens have large oscula irregularly scattered over their surface.
Surface of sponge quite smooth and visible as a distinct layer in preserved specimens.
Colour in life is dull yellow to green; the green tinge is from symbiotic algae.[JD2.1]
• Skeleton (Fig. D): Choanosomal skeleton is confused with some ascending tracts. Ectosomal skeleton is a more regular reticulation formed of bundles of 10-15 oxea.
• Spicules: Oxea (Fig. E). Often bent in the middle. Ends taper to sharp points 192–445 by 5–15 µm.
Habitat
Common in shallow waters < 30 m depth. This species is usually found in the intertidal and shallow subtidal but recorded down to 500 m. It is particularly common on boulders in the intertidal and on the holdfasts of kelp.
Geographic Range
Wide distribution. Its type locality is the UK, but it is found throughout the North Atlantic, both on European and American coasts. In Canada recorded from the Bay of Fundy, Southern Grand Banks, Gulf of St. Lawrence, and Labrador.
Fun Fact
The Latin name paniceus (Latin) = of bread, refers to the bread-like texture of dried specimens. It is often known as the breadcrumb sponge or crumb-of-bread sponge.
Barcode Distribution
Europe, Arctic, NW Atlantic Canada, and USA.
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