''Cliona orientalis'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

demosponge Demosponges (Demospongiae) are the most diverse class in the phylum Porifera. They include 76.2% of all species of sponges with nearly 8,800 species worldwide (World Porifera Database). They are sponges with a soft body that covers a har ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Clionaidae Clionaidae is a family of demosponges which are found worldwide. This family is known for parasitically boring holes in calcareous material such as mollusc shells and corals, using both chemical and mechanical processes.Brusca, R.C. & Brusca, G. ...

. It occurs in the Indo-Pacific region and is a bioeroding species, with various specialisations for living on and inside calcareous substrates such as massive

coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and sec ...

s and

molluscs Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant taxon, extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil sp ...

Distribution and habitat

''C. orientalis'' is native to the tropical Indo-Pacific region. Its range extends from East Africa and Madagascar, through India and the Maldives, to northern Australia, the Philippines, and many island groups in the Western Pacific Ocean. Its depth range is down to about .

Ecology

Like other demosponges, ''C. orientalis'' is a

filter feeder Filter feeders are a sub-group of suspension feeding animals that feed by straining suspended matter and food particles from water, typically by passing the water over a specialized filtering structure. Some animals that use this method of feedin ...

. Water is drawn in through fine pores, the nutritious particles are filtered out, and the water exits the sponge through the oscula. In addition, this sponge is able to extract nutrition from dissolved sugars in the water. It is a

hermaphrodite In reproductive biology, a hermaphrodite () is an organism that has both kinds of reproductive organs and can produce both gametes associated with male and female sexes. Many Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic groups of animals (mostly invertebrate ...

; sperm are liberated into the

water column A water column is a conceptual column of water from the surface of a sea, river or lake to the bottom sediment.Munson, B.H., Axler, R., Hagley C., Host G., Merrick G., Richards C. (2004).Glossary. ''Water on the Web''. University of Minnesota-D ...

and drawn into another individual via the water current, fertilisation being internal. The embryos are brooded within the sponge at first before being liberated through the oscula as

parenchymella Parenchymella is a type of larva of a demosponge Demosponges (Demospongiae) are the most diverse class in the phylum Porifera. They include 76.2% of all species of sponges with nearly 8,800 species worldwide (World Porifera Database). T ...

larva. These are

plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms found in Hydrosphere, water (or atmosphere, air) that are unable to propel themselves against a Ocean current, current (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are called plankt ...

ic, and when sufficiently developed, settle on a suitable substrate and undergo

metamorphosis Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops including birth or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and differentiation. Some inse ...

into juvenile sponges. This sponge is a bioeroder. On suitable calcareous substrates such as coralline rock, massive corals and mollusc shells, pieces of solid material are chipped away using chemicals produced by "etching cells" and the sponge tunnels into the material. The fluted giant clam ''

Tridacna squamosa ''Tridacna squamosa'', known commonly as the fluted giant clam and scaly clam, is a species of bivalve in the family Cardiidae. MolluscaBase eds. (2022). MolluscaBase. Tridacna squamosa Lamarck, 1819. Accessed through: World Register of Marine S ...

'' is attacked in this way, and corals attacked include '' Goniopora tenuidens'', ''

Porites ''Porites'' is a genus of stony coral; they are small polyp stony (SPS) corals. They are characterised by a finger-like morphology. Members of this genus have widely spaced calices, a well-developed wall reticulum and are bilaterally symmetric ...

'' sp., ''

Astreopora listeri ''Astreopora listeri'' is a species of hard coral found in shallow water in the tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is an uncommon species with a wide range and is tolerant of turbid water, making it more resilient than some other corals to ha ...

'', '' Favites halicora'', ''

Dipsastraea pallida ''Dipsastraea pallida'' is a species of colonial stony coral in the family Merulinidae. It is found in tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. This is a common species of coral with a widespread distribution, and the main threat it face ...

'', ''

Goniastrea retiformis ''Goniastrea retiformis'' is a species of stony corals in the family Merulinidae. It is native to shallow water in the Indo-Pacific region. Description This species forms massive colonies, domed, flat or columnar, reaching a maximum diameter of ...

'' and ''

Cyphastrea serailia ''Cyphastrea'' is a genus of massive reef building stony corals in the family Merulinidae Merulinidae is a family of reef-building stony corals. Characteristics All the genera in this family are colonial, reef-building corals. Skeletal struc ...

''. In research designed to mimic the effects of rising sea surface temperatures, it was found that this sponge expelled its ''

Symbiodinium : ''This is about the genus sometimes called Zoox. For the company, see Zoox (company)'' ''Symbiodinium'' is a genus of dinoflagellates that encompasses the largest and most prevalent group of endosymbiotic dinoflagellates known. These unicellul ...

'' when the temperature reached , becoming bleached, and showed little capacity to recover when the temperature was subsequently reduced.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3461468 Hadromerida Sponges described in 1900 Invertebrates of the Indian Ocean Fauna of the Pacific Ocean