''Haliclona submonilifera'', or the bubble bead sponge, is a deep-water
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 ...
from the continental shelf and slope off south-west Africa.
[Atkinson, LJ; Sink, KJ (2018). ]
Field Guide to the Offshore Marine Invertebrates of South Africa
'. Pretoria: Malachite Marketing and Media.
Description
This straw yellow sponge grows upright, with stalked branches that have numerous swellings and constrictions. These branches end with rounded ends with distinct
oscules. Oscules may also occur on rounded elevations along the branches. The surface has a velventy texture. This sponge is very flexible and compressible and is easily torn. It typically grows up to tall and .
It looks incredibly similar to ''Haliclona (Haliclona) urizae'', another
Namibian
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
sponge species, but differs in having
megascleres with blunt or rounded edges. More samples are needed to determine whether these are in actuality two different species or not.
Distribution and habitat
This species occurs along the continental shelf and slope off south-west Africa.
It is known to occur at depths from around off the coasts of Namibia and northern South Africa.
References
Haliclona
Chalinidae
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