Ria d’Etel, France, 11 meters, 2011, WBN
Ria d’Etel, France, 11 meters, 2011, WBN
Ria d’Etel, France, 12 meters, 2014, WBN
Ria d’Etel, France, 10 meters, 2013, WBN
Ria d’Etel, France, 10 meters, 2013, WBN
Suberites ficus is a massive sponge up to 30 cm across. It has an irregular rounded form. The surface is smooth, fibrous-like with few large oscules. The colour is variable: yellow orange, red orange, greish or brownish. It is attached to rocks, near algae and sometimes to small stones it may entirely cover. It can be seen rolling to and fro on the bottom according to water stream. It may also cover shells inhabited by hermit-crabs.
There are other similar species of the genus Suberites such as Suberites carnosus which is more globulous, with fewer oscules (generally 2 to 3) and which can retract a lot.
Suberites ficus is found from surface to 200 m deep, in the Atlantic Ocean, the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Mediterranean Sea.
Source : World Register of Marine Species
Dernière mise à jour 24-11-2022
Animalia (Kingdom)
Porifera (Phylum)
Demospongiae (Class)
Heteroscleromorpha (Subclass)
Suberitida (Order)
Suberitidae (Family)
Suberites (Genus)
Suberites ficus (Species)
Oscule : opening generally quite visible, through which sponges expel water they have filtered to extract food particles.
Text : Wilfried Bay-Nouailhat, Anne Bay-Nouailhat © 2004 - 2025.
Photos : ©
Wilfried Bay-Nouailhat. Published with his kind permission.
Websites and reference works : Consult bibliography
Image satellite: © Esri, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, USDA, USGS, AeroGRID, IGN, and the GIS User Community.
Données de distribution : Suberites ficus (Johnston, 1842) in GBIF Secretariat (2019). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2025-07-12.
Source : World Register of Marine Species
Dernière mise à jour 24-11-2022
Animalia (Kingdom)
Porifera (Phylum)
Demospongiae (Class)
Heteroscleromorpha (Subclass)
Suberitida (Order)
Suberitidae (Family)
Suberites (Genus)
Suberites ficus (Species)
Oscule : opening generally quite visible, through which sponges expel water they have filtered to extract food particles.
Text : Wilfried Bay-Nouailhat, Anne Bay-Nouailhat © 2004 - 2025.
Photos : ©
Wilfried Bay-Nouailhat. Published with his kind permission.
Websites and reference works : Consult bibliography
Bay-Nouailhat W., Bay-Nouailhat A., April 2004, Description of Suberites ficus, [On line] https://european-marine-life.org/02/suberites-ficus.php, consulted on 2025 July 12.
Authors
Diver - Naturalist
Underwater Photographer
Project manager in marine environment
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