''Grantia compressa'' is a species of

calcareous sponge The calcareous sponges of class Calcarea are members of the animal phylum Porifera, the cellular sponges. They are characterized by spicules made of calcium carbonate in the form of calcite or aragonite. While the spicules in most species hav ...

belonging to the family

Grantiidae Grantiidae is a family of calcareous sponges in the order Leucosolenida Leucosolenida is an order of sponge Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a basal animal clade as a sister of the diploblasts. ...

. It is a very common species of

rocky shore A rocky shore is an intertidal area of seacoasts where solid rock predominates. Rocky shores are biologically rich environments, and are a useful "natural laboratory" for studying intertidal ecology and other biological processes. Due to their ...

s along the Atlantic coasts of Europe from France northwards. It appears as flattened, purse-shaped vases up to 5 cm long with slit-like oscula at the ends, hanging downwards attached by a stalk to rocky overhangs, often in groups among

seaweed Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of '' Rhodophyta'' (red), ''Phaeophyta'' (brown) and ''Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as ...

. This is a pale sponge ranging in color from grey to yellow. The body of sponge looks like a branching tree with slender. Vaselike cylinder of 5to6 mm in diameter. The entire body of the sponge is pierced by numerous holes, the inhalent pores or ostia. The free end of each cylinder communicates outside by large osculum. The osculum is encircled by oscular fringe. Asexual reproduction by regeneration and budding . Development Is indirect with free swimming amphiblastula larva

References

North East Atlantic Taxa
Animals described in 1780 Leucosolenida {{calcarea-stub