(Montagu, 1818)

Species Overview

Suberites suberia (Montagu, 1818) is an orange elongated globular sponge inhabited by a hermit crab (mostly Pagurus). This characteristic association is known from another Suberites species occurring to the south (Mediterranean, West Africa), and the two can only be told apart by microscopic examination. Some authors consider them as synonyms of a single species S. domuncula.

Taxonomic Description

Colour: Orange-yellow.
Shape, size, surface and consistency: The sponge envelops a dead gastropod shell which is inhabited by a hermit crab (it is a "mobile sponge"). Size up to 10 cm in diameter, with a tendency to become laterally spreading. Surface smooth, velvety. Apart from the opening used by the hermit crab there are no clearly developed oscules. Consistency firm.
Spicules: Tylostyles up to 330 x 8 µm. Centrotylote microstrongyles 15-50 µm.
Skeleton: The ectosomal skeleton consists of bouquets or a palisade of smaller tylostyles, among the ends of which are found variable quantities of microstrongyles. More interiorly, the skeleton is rather irregular, dense, with vague bundles of larger tylostyles.
Ecology: Inhabited by hermit crab, e.g. Pagurus pubescens (cf. Bruce et al., 1963). Depth 20-50 m, on sandy bottoms.
Etymology: suber (Latin) = cork.
Distribution: North Sea, West coasts of Britain, Ireland and France; possibly Mediterranean.
Type specimen information: No type material in BMNH.

Remarks

The name of this species is persistently spelled suberea for no apparent reason, as Montagu's original name is clearly suberia. The species was frequently considered a synonym of either Suberites ficus or S. domuncula, but recent genetic studies (Solé-Cava et al., 1986 as Suberites pagurorum) have established differences of a specific level between sympatric populations of Suberites ficus s.l.
Esper's (1794) water colour of Alcyonium tuberosum may conceivably represent this species (if that would be the case suberia would have to be called tuberosa), but in the absence of Esper's material, it is generally assumed that the plate represents Suberites domuncula; this is followed here.
Source: Bowerbank, 1866; Topsent, 1900.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Porifera
Class Demospongiae
Order Hadromerida
Family Suberitidae
Genus Suberites
Species Suberites suberia

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Accepted name: Suberites suberia (Montagu, 1818)

Scientific synonyms and common names

Spongia suberia n.sp. Montagu, 1818: 100.
Halichondria suberica: Fleming, 1828: 522
Halichondria suberea: Johnston, 1842: 139, pl. XII figs. 5-6.
Hymeniacidon suberea: Bowerbank, 1866: 200; 1874: 91, pl. XXXVI figs. 1-4.
Suberites suberia: Gray, 1867: 523.
Halichondria suberia: Carter, 1882a: 353.
Suberites suberea: Higgin, 1886: 86.
Suberites domuncula |: Hanitsch, 1890: 214; Burton, 1957: 29; Bruce et al., 1963: 44.

Bowerbank, J.S., 1866. A monograph of the British Spongiadae, II. Ray Society, London: i-xx, 1-388.

Bowerbank, J.S., 1874. A monograph of the British Spongiadae, III. Ray Society, London: i-xvii, 1-367, pls. I-XCII.

Burton, M., 1957. Plymouth Marine Fauna. 3rd ed. Porifera. Mar. Biol. Ass. U.K.: 26-36.

Carter, H.J., 1882a. New sponges, observations on old ones, and a proposed new group. Ann. Mag. nat. Hist., (5) 10: 106-125.

Fleming, J., 1828. A history of British animals. Edinburgh, London, 565 pp.

Gray, J.E., 1867. Notes on the arrangement of sponges, with the description of some new genera. Proc. zool. Soc. London, 1867: 492-558, 2 pls.

Higgin, T., 1886. Report on the Porifera of the L.M.B.C. District. 1st. Rept.Fauna Liverpool Bay: 72-94.

Solé-Cava, A.M. and J.P. Thorpe, 1986. Genetic differentiation between morphotypes of the marine sponge Suberites ficus (Demospongiae, Hadromerida). Mar. Biol., 93: 247-253

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