Sylvain Le Bris, Frankreich
Info
Fasciospongia cavernosa is a dark brown sea sponge that is light yellowish at the choanosome.
It has large and numerous irregular cavities and channels scattered throughout the mesohyl.
Its consistency is described as “strong and cartilaginous,” and its surface is covered with numerous conules (3–4 mm high), which give it a spiny appearance.
The outer membrane of Fasciospongia cavernosa is smooth, translucent, and resistant.
The stabilizing skeletal network consists mainly of large (50–250 µm) wrinkled or granulated fibers, some of the largest of which are interspersed with foreign bodies and are referred to as primary fibers.
Sea sponges do not perform photosynthesis and prefer shady areas of the sea or even underwater caves.
Some sea sponges produce a non-toxic melanin that has an antioxidant effect, protecting the animal cells from phototoxicity.
This property allows Fasciospongia cavernosa to also be found in seagrass beds with Posidonia oceanica.
Interestingly, Fasciospongia cavernosa sometimes exhibits burrowing behavior.
Synonyms:
Cacospongia aspergillum Schmidt, 1868 · unaccepted (genus transfer & junior synonym)
Cacospongia cavernosa Schmidt, 1862 · unaccepted (genus transfer)
Fasciospongia aspergillum (Schmidt, 1868) · unaccepted (junior synonym)
Stelospongia aspergillum (Schmidt, 1868) · unaccepted (genus transfer and junior synonym)
Stelospongia cavernosa (Schmidt, 1862) · unaccepted (genus transfer)
Stelospongia cavernosa var. mediterranea Lendenfeld, 1889 · unaccepted (genus transfer & junior synonym)
It has large and numerous irregular cavities and channels scattered throughout the mesohyl.
Its consistency is described as “strong and cartilaginous,” and its surface is covered with numerous conules (3–4 mm high), which give it a spiny appearance.
The outer membrane of Fasciospongia cavernosa is smooth, translucent, and resistant.
The stabilizing skeletal network consists mainly of large (50–250 µm) wrinkled or granulated fibers, some of the largest of which are interspersed with foreign bodies and are referred to as primary fibers.
Sea sponges do not perform photosynthesis and prefer shady areas of the sea or even underwater caves.
Some sea sponges produce a non-toxic melanin that has an antioxidant effect, protecting the animal cells from phototoxicity.
This property allows Fasciospongia cavernosa to also be found in seagrass beds with Posidonia oceanica.
Interestingly, Fasciospongia cavernosa sometimes exhibits burrowing behavior.
Synonyms:
Cacospongia aspergillum Schmidt, 1868 · unaccepted (genus transfer & junior synonym)
Cacospongia cavernosa Schmidt, 1862 · unaccepted (genus transfer)
Fasciospongia aspergillum (Schmidt, 1868) · unaccepted (junior synonym)
Stelospongia aspergillum (Schmidt, 1868) · unaccepted (genus transfer and junior synonym)
Stelospongia cavernosa (Schmidt, 1862) · unaccepted (genus transfer)
Stelospongia cavernosa var. mediterranea Lendenfeld, 1889 · unaccepted (genus transfer & junior synonym)
