Spheciospongia vesparium

Spheciospongia vesparium, commonly known as the loggerhead sponge,[2] is a species of sea sponge belonging to the family Clionaidae. While it is highly toxic to many fish, this sponge is eaten by certain angelfish and is known to form part of the diet of the hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata).

Loggerhead Sponge'
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Porifera
Class:	Demospongiae
Order:	Clionaida
Family:	Clionaidae
Genus:	Spheciospongia
Species:	S. vesparium
Binomial name
Spheciospongia vesparium Lamarck, 1815[1]
Synonyms[1]
List Alcyonium vesparium Lamarck, 1815 Cliona cribrosa (Schmidt, 1870) Heterocliona cribraria Verrill, 1907 Hymeniacidon pulvinatus Bowerbank, 1872 Papillina cribrosa Schmidt, 1870 Poterion atlantica George & Wilson, 1919 Prianos tierneyi de Laubenfels, 1953 Pseudosuberites melanos Laubenfels, 1934 Spheciospongia othello de Laubenfels, 1950 Spheciospongia vesparia [lapsus] Spirastrella andrewsi George & Wilson, 1919 Spirastrella pulvinata (Bowerbank, 1872) Spongia dysoni Carter, 1882 Thalysias vesparia (Lamarck, 1814)

Description

This massive sponge has varying forms in different locations. One common form is barrel-shaped or cake-shaped with a flattened top, but it may also be roughly globular or amorphous. The texture is firm, tough and dense. The surface is broadly undulating and rough, with a mixture of large and small osculi surrounded by groups of fine pores, each 1 to 2 mm (0.04 to 0.08 in) in diameter. The color of the sponge both inside and out is purplish, gray or brownish-black, and the surface is often partly obscured by sediment or by algae growing on it.[2][3]

Distribution and habitat

This sponge is native to the Caribbean Sea and around the coasts of the Bahamas and Florida. It occurs on patch reefs and in lagoons; when growing on soft sediment it often has a wider and deeper base than when growing on rock.[2] Its depth range is 5 to 15 m (16 to 49 ft).[3]

Ecology

Although it is toxic to many vertebrates, some fish have been observed to feed on this sponge, a fact confirmed by fragments of the sponge being found in their guts; these fish include the queen angelfish (Holacanthus ciliaris), the rock beauty (Holacanthus tricolor) and the French angelfish (Pomacanthus paru). Other predators feeding on the sponge include the polychaete worm Branchiosyllis oculata, and the red cushion sea star (Oreaster reticulatus).[4] It is also preyed upon by the hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata).[5]

The tunnels and cavities inside the sponge are home to a wide array of invertebrates.[3] Being a suspension feeder, this sponge has been found to be helpful in controlling harmful blooms of cyanobacteria; sites in Florida Bay with an abundance of loggerhead sponges were found to have few or no blooms whereas similar sites with few sponges had long-lasting, dense blooms.[6]

References

1. van Soest, Rob (2018). "Spheciospongia vesparium (Lamarck, 1815)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
2. De Kluijver, M.; Gijswijt, G.; de Leon, R.; da Cunda, I. "Loggerhead sponge (Spheciospongia vesparium)". Interactive Guide to Caribbean Diving. Marine Species Identification Portal. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
3. "Spheciospongia vesparium (Lamarck, 1815)". SeaLifeBase. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
4. Carballo, José Luis; Bell, James J. (2017). Climate Change, Ocean Acidification and Sponges: Impacts Across Multiple Levels of Organization. Springer. pp. 336–337. ISBN 978-3-319-59008-0.
5. Meylan, Anne (1988). "Spongivory in Hawksbill Turtles: A Diet of Glass". Science. American Association for the Advancement of Science. 239 (4838): 393–395. doi:10.1126/science.239.4838.393. JSTOR 1700236. PMID 17836872.
6. Wall, Chuck C.; Rodgers, Brooke S.; Gobler, Christopher J.; Peterson, Bradley James (2012). "Responses of loggerhead sponges Spechiospongia vesparium during harmful cyanobacterial blooms in a sub-tropical lagoon". Marine Ecology Progress Series. 451: 31–43. doi:10.3354/meps09537.