Sponge Guide

UNCW National Science Foundation Valdosta State University Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Species: Cliothosa delitrix
  • Location: Colombia-San Andrés Archipelago, San Andrés Island
  • Habitat: rocky shore/shallow reef
  • Photographer: Sven Zea
  • Picture Taken On: 2002-07-05
  • Picture Notes: no image notes
  • Color: orange
  • Morphology: encrusting
  • Consistency: tough

Tissue image: Ground and polished sections of coral skeleton with sponge. a) section showing a gallery excavated in the coral, filled by sponge tissue with dispersed spicules; b) perpendicular section at the surface showing a palisade of spicules at the ectosome; notice a previous layer of growth below the surface; c) enlargement of the surface palisade; d) enlargement of an excavated portion of the coral skeleton showing the characteristic etch marks and the orange granular cells of the sponge tissue. Sample from San Andres Island, Colombia (specimen INV POR 1278).