Crambe crambe

Crambe crambe
Crambe crambe from Elba
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Porifera
Class: Demospongiae
Order: Poecilosclerida
Family: Crambeidae
Genus: Crambe
Species:
C. crambe
Binomial name
Crambe crambe
(Schmidt, 1862)
Synonyms
List
  • Clathria labyrinthica (Schmidt, 1864)
  • Crambe ambigua (Sarà, 1960)
  • Desmacidon harpago Vosmaer, 1880
  • Dictyonella labyrinthica (Schmidt, 1864)
  • Haliclona labyrinthica (Schmidt, 1864)
  • Hemimycale ambigua Sarà, 1960
  • Hemimycale brevicuspis (Topsent, 1892)
  • Plicatella labyrinthica (Schmidt, 1864)
  • Reniera labyrinthica Schmidt, 1864
  • Stylinos brevicuspis Topsent, 1892
  • Suberites arcicola Schmidt, 1862
  • Suberites crambe Schmidt, 1862
  • Suberites fruticosus Schmidt, 1862
  • Tetranthella fruticosa (Schmidt, 1862)

Crambe crambe, commonly known as the oyster sponge or orange-red encrusting sponge, is a species of demosponges belonging to the family Crambeidae.

Description

The colonies of Crambe crambe form thin orange to orange-red plates, rarely lobed, with a very rough surface perforated by raised oscula found along the exhaling channels. These colonies can cover a surface of 1 m2.

Biology

Crambe crambe feeds by filtering bacteria, microorganisms and single-celled algae. This species is hermaphrodite. Larvae are planktonic. These demosponges often cover the shell of live shellfish (Arca noae, Spondylus and various sedentary bivalves). Eupolymnia nebulosa sometimes hides itself on these sponges.

Distribution

This species is endemic to the Mediterranean, but it is also present in the North Atlantic Ocean, in the English Channel and in the North Sea.

Habitat

Crambe crambe commonly occurs in well-lit waters on hard substrate at depths of 5 to 30 m.

Bibliography

References