Phylum: Porifera

Class: Demospongiae

Order: Hadromerida

Family: Suberites

Scientific name:

 

Norwegian: eremittkrepssvamp

(Ingdalen - The Trondheim fjord / 20 meters / 12.19.2006)

Distribution: The most common sponge of this family, S. ficus, is widely distributed in the North-Atlantic ocean. In Norway, it is registered as far north as Troms. It has been registered on depths ranging from 0 to 1300 meters. It prefers a hard substrate, like rocks, ship wrecks or the shells. It is not unusual to find it on shells carried by hermit crabs. The are still some uncertainties regarding classification of different species of this family.

Characteristics: The color of S. ficus is usually yellow or orange, but white or blue color shades can be found, as well. A typical feature is a small number of larger openings on the high-points of the sponge sculpture.

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