Aplysilla rubra is an encrusting sponge which grows in thin gelatinous layers on surfaces of 3 to 30 cm2. Its surface is covered with small lobed outgrowths, up 0.5 to 1 cm in diameter, the texture of which visually recalls that of cauliflower. Few and scattered oscules are clearly visible on the top of delicate chimneys. The colour of the red oscarella varies according to the specimens, from pale beige to red passing through various shades of orange with often shades more reddish on the top of the lobes. Specimens exposed to light are more red due to the presence of symbionts that color the surface of this sponge.
Aplysilla rubra lives on rocks, horizontal surfaces and overhangs. It is most often found at the base of rocks. Locally very common, it is found in the Atlantic, English Channel, North Sea and Mediterranean.
Source : World Register of Marine Species
Dernière mise à jour 24-11-2022
Animalia (Kingdom)
Porifera (Phylum)
Demospongiae (Class)
Keratosa (Subclass)
Dendroceratida (Order)
Darwinellidae (Family)
Aplysilla (Genus)
Aplysilla rubra (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 © 2023 - 2024.
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 : Aplysilla rubra (Hanitsch, 1890) in GBIF Secretariat (2019). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2024-10-09.
Source : World Register of Marine Species
Dernière mise à jour 24-11-2022
Animalia (Kingdom)
Porifera (Phylum)
Demospongiae (Class)
Keratosa (Subclass)
Dendroceratida (Order)
Darwinellidae (Family)
Aplysilla (Genus)
Aplysilla rubra (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 © 2023 - 2024.
Photos : ©
Wilfried Bay-Nouailhat. Published with his kind permission.
Websites and reference works : Consult bibliography
Bay-Nouailhat W., Bay-Nouailhat A., February 2023, Description of Aplysilla rubra, [On line] https://european-marine-life.org/02/aplysilla-rubra.php, consulted on 2024 October 09.
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