''Haliclona anonyma'', the turret sponge or tubular fan sponge, is a species of

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 ...

.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 It is endemic to South Africa, where it occurs between the

Cape Peninsula The Cape Peninsula ( af, Kaapse Skiereiland) is a generally mountainous peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean at the south-western extremity of the African continent. At the southern end of the peninsula are Cape Point and the Cape of ...

and

Sodwana Bay Sodwana Bay is a bay in South Africa on the KwaZulu Natal north coast, between St. Lucia and Lake Sibhayi. It is in the Sodwana Bay National Park, and the Maputaland Marine Reserve, and is a popular recreational diving destination. The term is ...

Description

''Haliclona anonyma'' grows to about across and has turrets of up to long. It is a pink to purplish or brown many-turreted sponge, which grows in sheets usually on vertical walls. The coalescent (fused) tubular branches terminate in rounded ends with slightly raised conspicuous oscules. Its surface is slightly bristly with small ostia (channels allowing for water movement), and its texture is soft and compressible.

Distribution and habitat

This sponge is endemic to the south and west coasts of South Africa. It occurs from the intertidal zone.Jones, Georgina. ''A field guide to the marine animals of the Cape Peninsula.'' SURG, Cape Town, 2008. It has been found to occur down to in depth. They are frequently attached to rocks by coralline algae which grows between the sponge matrix.

References

anonyma Sponges described in 1915 {{demosponge-stub