''Xestospongia bergquistia'' is a species of barrel sponge in the family

Petrosiidae Petrosiidae is a family of sponge Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a basal animal clade as a sister of the diploblasts. They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channe ...

first described by

Jane Fromont Phyllis Jane Fromont is a New Zealand and Australian scientist specialising in sponges. Early life and education Fromont was raised in Whanganui, New Zealand, the youngest of six children. She became interested in marine biology after scuba div ...

in 1991. The species epithet, ''bergquistia'', honours the New Zealand sponge specialist,

Patricia Bergquist Dame Patricia Rose Bergquist (née Smyth, 10 March 1933 – 9 September 2009) was a New Zealand zoologist who specialised in anatomy and taxonomy. At the time of her death, she was professor emerita of zoology and honorary professor of anatomy ...

Habitat

''X. bergquistia'' occurs at depths of 5–15 m in full light on substrates of rock or dead coral.

Description

''X. bergquistia'' is an erect, red-brown, cup-shaped sponge, with vertical ridges on the outer surface. The sponge varies in size from 15 cm to 1.5 m high, with the cup at its apex forming a central hollow up to one third its height. It is a firm but springy sponge.

References

Animals described in 1991 Petrosina Taxa named by Jane Fromont {{demosponge-stub