 There are nearly three thousand species of sponges distributed in all the seas between the tide-mark and the abyssal region. Many of them, both colourful and beautiful, occur in Indian waters especially along rocky coasts, gulfs and reefs. Calcareous sponges are mostly small and simple, living singly or in clusters attached to rocks and pilings between tide-marks. Of these Grantia looks like a vase or miniature jar, Poterion a cup and Leucosolenia cylindrical tufts.
Siliceous sponges live in deep seas and the most beautiful example, occurring in Philippine waters and the Pacific, is Euplectella - Venus's flower-basket. It has an elongate, slightly bent cylindrical body reinforced by an intricate network of glassy spicules held together like a lattice and the fixed end fastened to the mud by a tuft of glassy fibre. The most dominant types of sponges are those possessing fibrous threads. They have the widest distribution and include the largest number of species. They are often massive and brightly coloured in yellow, cream, orange, red, grey and green. The common bath sponge is Mediterranean but allied genera Callyspongia, Adosia, Spirastrella etc, are common in Tuticorin Pearl Bank and in the lagoon near Krusadi. Specimens of known finger-like Chalina are sometimes found washed ashore. The light brownish or yellow Cliona (sulphur sponge) and Suberites are common on dead shells. Green fresh water sponges are plentiful in pools and ponds. This article is a stub. You can enrich by adding more information to it. Send your Write Up to content@indianetzone.com |
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