Kinds of Sea Sponges
Sponges are primitive multicelled aquatic animals that lack organs and are classified in the phylum Porifera. These organisms, sometimes called "sea vegetables," tend to be mistaken for plants. With more than 9,000 species, the vast majority of sponges inhabit marine (salt) waters and come in a variety of shapes, colors and sizes.
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Green Finger Sponge
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Iotrochota birotulata or green finger sponges are prevalent in Venezula, South Florida and the Carribean. They are usually black with green patches, secreting a purpleish fluid when squeezed. Their slightly encrusted, upright branches grow up to 20 inches long and 2 inches in diameter. They frequently inhabit reefs and shallow bays underneath rocks.
Loggerhead Sponge
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Spheciospongia vesparium or loggerhead sponges vary in appearance depending on their habitat; however, they are generally short and barrel-like with a flat-top. They also have distinctive evaluated pores that are up to an inch in diameter. Frequently the home of snapping shrimp, loggerhead sponges are black with purple or brown overtones and are prevalent in the Bahamas, Caribbean and Florida. They live in diverse environments ranging from lagoons to shallow reefs.
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Azure Vase Sponge
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As the name infers, azure vase sponges or callyspongia plicifera, are tube- or vase-like in form, growing up to 10 ½ inches long and 5 ½ inches in diameter. These sponges are light blue (azure) in color with mingled pink or purple and have characteristically detailed groove and pit markings. Found in abundance in the Caribbean, with fewer sightings in the Bahamas and Florida, they commonly grow on the coral reef walls they inhabit.
Chicken-Liver Sponge
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Chondrilla nucula or chicken-liver sponges are found in areas that range from the Caribbean to South Florida, and are represented by two distinct habitats and colors.
Type 1 is the most common lagoon sponge. Its upper body is usually brown or beige, with a whitish pink to light beige lower body. It is ambiguously shaped with round lobes, some of which having deep, cut-like markings. It grows horizontally.
Type 2 grows horizontally and is exclusive to vertical cliffs and the Millepora terraces. Also ambiguously shaped with round lobes, its surface is smooth and shiny. It is usually yellowish-brown with mottled brown and pale areas.
Black-Ball Sponge
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Ircinia strobilina or black-ball sponges inhabit reef and muddy sands from the Guyana shelf to Florida. They grow up to 8 inches in height and 9 inches in diameter, with cone-like structures (conules) that extend upward to 1/2 inch in height. These round sponges have charcoal colored upper bodies with yellowish-gray bases.
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References
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