The flat leaf sponge (''Isodictya grandis'') is a
species of marine
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 Isodictyidae
Isodictyidae is a family of marine demosponges.
Genera
Genera
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification ...
.
This sponge is known from the west coast of South Africa to False Bay. It is
endemic to this region.
[Samaai, T. and Gibbons, M.J. 2005. Demospongiae taxonomy and biodiversity of the Benguela region on the west coast of South Africa. ''Afr. Nat. Hist''. 1(1):1-96]
Description
The flat leaf sponge may grow to 1 cm thick and 20 cm high. It is an erect, thin-bladed sponge, with the blades narrowing to points at the tips. Its texture is smooth but slightly hairy with small
oscula on the blade edges. It is orange-red in colour.
[Jones, Georgina. ''A field guide to the marine animals of the Cape Peninsula.'' SURG, Cape Town, 2008. ]
Habitat
This sponge lives on rocky reefs from 15-37m.
References
Poecilosclerida
Sponges described in 1886
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