ANIMALIA / PORIFERA / DEMOSPONGIAE / HADROMERIDA / SUBERITIDAE / SUBERITES / FICUS
Suberites grow in varied forms, massive, thinly or thickly encrusting. They are often cushion-like or globose in shape with rounded lobules or bulbous structures on the surface, up to 7 ├ù 5 cm in diameter, 2 cm in height. The surface is smooth, undulating, not velvety but covered with stiff microscopic hairs. Their oscules (mouth like openings) are visible, one to a few, mostly on the top of the lobes or apex, 1–3mm in diameter. The texture of the surface is firm, moderately elastic and compressible. In situ they show an orange-brown, the choanosome is orange-yellow internally, in preservation they exhibit a khaki colour (Samaai & Gibbons, 2005).
S. ficus is reported to be distributed from the West coast of South Africa, southern Namibia, Arctic and North Atlantic to Senegal, Mediterranean Sea, Pacific Ocean (Picker & Griffiths, 2011; Samaai & Gibbons, 2005), Mauritania, North Sea (van Soest, 1993), west coast of France, the English Channel, the North Sea, the coasts of the British Isles and Norway, off Iceland and Greenland, Virginia, from the Bering Sea, the Pacific Coast of North America south to Vancouver Island, and from the Pacific Coast of Asia to Japan (Hartman, 1958).
In South Africa it is reported in West coast in Table Bay docks (Picker & Griffiths, 2011; Samaai & Gibbons, 2005).
Unknown
Unknown
Gametes and larvae are produced during early summer (Perovic-Ottstad et al., 2004)
Benthic, Inshore, Intertidal, Offshore (>30m)
This map contains point-based occurrences at different locations
Occurrence in African countries and South African provinces. Residence status indicates if a taxon is indigenous, endemic, or alien in a specific region. This data is based on specimen records and literature.
FSA
SA
BOT
NAM
ESW
LES
WC
EC
NC
FS
GA
KZN
LP
MP
NW
Absent
Indigenous
Endemic
Naturalised
Invasive
Names and Sources
| Common Name | Language |
|---|---|
| Vyspons | Af |
| Sulphur Sponge | En |
| Feigenschwamm | En |
| Fig Sponge | En |
| Sea Orange Sponge |
Classification
KINGDOM Animalia
PHYLUM Porifera
CLASS Demospongiae
ORDER Hadromerida
FAMILY Suberitidae
GENUS Suberites
SPECIES ficus
No results found for Suberites ficus (Johnston, 1842)
Unknown
0 results for Suberites ficus (Johnston, 1842)
Year
Province
This map contains point-based occurrences at different locations
1987
BOOK
A Student’s Guide to the SeashoreFish, J.D., Fish, S. 1987. A Student’s Guide to the Seashore. Springer Science & Business Media pp.474.
2011
BOOK
Alien & Invasive Animals: a South African perspectivePicker, M, Griffiths, C. 2011. Alien & Invasive Animals: a South African perspective. Struik Nature.
2005
JOURNAL ARTICLE
Demospongiae taxonomy and biodiversity of the Benguela region on the west coast of South AfricaSamaai, Toufiek, Gibbons, Mark. 2005. Demospongiae taxonomy and biodiversity of the Benguela region on the west coast of South Africa Vol. 1 pp.1 – 96.
1999
JOURNAL ARTICLE
Aquaculture of sponges on scallops for natural products research and antifoulingArmstrong, Evelyn, McKenzie, Douglas, Goldsworthy, Gordon. 1999. Aquaculture of sponges on scallops for natural products research and antifouling Vol. 70 pp.163–174.
1958
JOURNAL ARTICLE
{Natural history of the marine sponges of Southern New England}Hartman, W.. 1958. {Natural history of the marine sponges of Southern New England} Vol. 13 pp.1–155.
2004
JOURNAL ARTICLE
{Molecular markers for germ cell differentiation in the demosponge Suberites domuncula}Perovic-Ottstadt, S., Cetkovic, Helena, Moss, Claire, Korzhev, Michael, Diehl-seifert, Bärbel, Müller, Isabel, Müller, Werner. 2004. {Molecular markers for germ cell differentiation in the demosponge Suberites domuncula} Vol. 48 pp.293–305.
1993
JOURNAL ARTICLE
{Distribution of sponges on the Mauritanian continental shelf}van Soest, R.. 1993. {Distribution of sponges on the Mauritanian continental shelf} Vol. 258 pp.95–106.
