Chondrocladia lyra

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chondrocladia lyra
Systematics
Class : Horned Silica Sponges (Demospongiae)
Order : Poecilosclerida
Family : Cladorhizidae
Genre : Chondrocladia
Subgenus : Symmetrocladia
Type : Chondrocladia lyra
Scientific name of the  subgenus
Symmetrocladia
Lee et al., 2012
Scientific name of the  species
Chondrocladia lyra
Lee et al., 2012

Chondrocladia lyra is a carnivorous sponge that was discovered in 2000. Two individuals were collected and film recordings were made of 10 individuals. In 2012, the type wasfirst describedby scientists at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute . Its appearance resembles a star made of upright harps ( specific epithet : lyra ).

features

C. lyra is anchored to the sea floor by a rhizoid . Starting from the central body, there are one to six runners that carry around 20 vertically standing branches on a lamella. According to video recordings, its size is approximately 80 cm in length and 50 cm in height. The orientation of the foothills is almost equiangular, so that a multiple central symmetry arises. Swellings with eggs develop on the vertical branches, and at their ends they have spherical swellings that are provided with thread-like extensions. The spherical end balls form spermatophores .

nutrition

Sponges typically filter bacteria and other microscopic living things out of the water. Chondrocladia lyra (and other carnivorous sponges) catch much larger prey, such as B. copepods . If the prey hit the sponge by the current of water, they are held in place by small hooks. Then the sponge envelops its victim with a membrane made of digestive juices that allow it to absorb the nutrients through the surface of the sponge.

distribution and habitat

The sponge was spotted during diving trips in the northeastern Pacific in the Escanaba Ridge off the coast of California and the Monterey Canyon at a depth of around 3,300 m.

Systematics

A new, monotypical subgenus Symmetrocladia was created by the scientists for the species .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Welton L. Lee, Henry M. Reiswig, William C. Austin & Lonny Lundsten: An extraordinary new carnivorous sponge, Chondrocladia lyra , in the new subgenus Symmetrocladia (Demospongiae, Cladorhizidae), from off of northern California, USA . In: Invertebrate Biology . No. in press, 2012. doi : 10.1111 / ivb.12001 .
  2. ↑ [1]
  3. ↑ Anderson Natali: Extraordinary New Sponge Species Discovered . Sci-News.com. Retrieved April 7, 2013.
  4. ↑ Escanaba Ridge on Geographic.Org

Web links