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River sponge or Ephydatia fluviatilis |
Some interesting species live in our neighbourhoods and remain
unnoticed just because their habitats are not very convenient to look at. This
can be any place we pass-by every day. Stopping for a few minutes in these
familiar spaces and taking a second look from a different perspective may lead
to small discoveries. Freshwater sponges are a case in point as today’s Taxon
of the Day species were observed from a small bridge over the River Thames in
Reading, UK. Spongilla lacustris (Linnaeus, 1759) or Lake sponge and Ephydatia fluviatilis (Linnaeus, 1759) or River sponge, are the two most reported freshwater sponge species in the UK, although some
foreign references suggest a possible 4-6 species could inhabit rivers and
lakes of the United Kingdom.
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River sponge or Spongilla lacustris |
Sponges come in an incredible variety of shapes (eg sheets, mounds, tubes), sizes
(1mm to 1m) and colours, and mostly live in a marine environment. However, there are over 150 freshwater species worldwide. All of the freshwater species belong to
the class Demospongia, order Haplosclerida. The sponges that can be observed in
the Thames are actually cosmopolitan species found all around the world
representing family Spongillidae.
Sponges
are mostly filter feeders (although a few are also predators) passing large
volumes of water through their bodies. Water enters through multiple small
pores called ostia, flows through canals to a spacious chamber, and finally
exits through large opening called osculum. Sponges have no specialized organs,
no nerve system or muscles. It’s no wonder Aristotle and naturalists thought
they were plants until the 19th Century when it was proven that they are
actually animals.
Etymology: Spongilla lacustris from the Latin lacus meaning lake, and Ephydatia fluviatilis from the Latin fluvius meaning river.
Etymology: Spongilla lacustris from the Latin lacus meaning lake, and Ephydatia fluviatilis from the Latin fluvius meaning river.
CoL contributor: World Porifera database
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