Suberites ficus (Johnston, 1842)

Description

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.

Similar to

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.

Distribution

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.

Classification

Source : World Register of Marine Species

Biota (Superdomain)
Animalia (Kingdom)
Porifera (Phylum)
Demospongiae (Class)
Heteroscleromorpha (Subclass)
Suberitida (Order)
Suberitidae (Family)
Suberites (Genus)
Suberites ficus (Species)

Page glossary

Oscule : opening generally quite visible, through which sponges expel water they have filtered to extract food particles.

Authors

Text : Wilfried Bay-Nouailhat, Anne Bay-Nouailhat © 2004 - 2020.

Photos : © Wilfried Bay-Nouailhat. Published with his kind permission.
Websites and reference works : Consult bibliography

How to cite this page

Bay-Nouailhat W., Bay-Nouailhat A., April 2004, Description of Suberites ficus, [On line] http://european-marine-life.org/02/suberites-ficus.php, consulted on 2020 September 29.