Geodia gibberosa

Geodia gibberosa, commonly known as the white encrusting sponge,[1] is a species of sea sponge found in the Caribbean. It is eaten by hawksbill turtles.[2] It was first described by Lamarck in 1815.[3]

Geodia gibberosa
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Porifera
Class: Demospongiae
Order: Tetractinellida
Family: Geodiidae
Genus: Geodia
Species:
G. gibberosa
Binomial name
Geodia gibberosa
Lamarck, 1815
Synonyms

Description

Geodia gibberosa is a large, dense sponge. It can be white or pale tan when exposed to very little light, or dark brown in areas with a lot of it.[4] It is usually in the form of a knobby, fist-like mass, often up to 50 cm in diameter. It may also occur as a spherical mass without projections and is also known to form large colonies that resemble rounded calcareous rocks.[5] Its skeleton is a bunch of needle-like spicules radiating outward from the center near the surface, much more randomly dispersed on the inside.[4]

Distribution and habitat

Geodia gibberosa is found in the Bahamas, Florida, Brazil, and West Africa.[6][4] It is commonly found in shallow waters with hard bottoms, generally in the same area as seagrasses.[4]

References
  1. http://www.bio.georgiasouthern.edu/GR-inverts/grlist.html?spp=Geodiagibberosa&filaindex=9
  2. "Species Booklet: Hawksbill sea turtle". Virginia Fish and Wildlife Information Service. Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries. Archived from the original on 2006-09-24. Retrieved 2007-02-06.
  3. WorMS
  4. "Geodia gibberosa Lamarck, 1815 Astrophorida, Geodiidae". Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  5. http://www.gsmfc.org/seamap/picture_guide/Other/geodia%20gibberosa.pdf
  6. http://www.spongeguide.org/speciesinfo.php?species=176
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