Haliclona submonilifera

Haliclona submonilifera, or the bubble bead sponge, is a deep-water demosponge from the continental shelf and slope off south-west Africa.

Description

This straw yellow sponge grows upright, with stalked branches that have numerous swellings and constrictions. These branches end with rounded ends with distinct oscules. Oscules may also occur on rounded elevations along the branches. The surface has a velventy texture. This sponge is very flexible and compressible and is easily torn. It typically grows up to tall and. It looks incredibly similar to Haliclona urizae, another Namibian sponge species, but differs in having megascleres with blunt or rounded edges. More samples are needed to determine whether these are in actuality two different species or not.

Distribution and habitat

This species occurs along the continental shelf and slope off south-west Africa. It is known to occur at depths from around off the coasts of Namibia and northern South Africa.