Animal Species:Purple-encrusting sponges
Purple-encrusting sponges are probably the easiest sponges to see on Sydney's rocky shores.
Purple-encrusting Sponge
Dr Isobel Bennett
© Australian Museum
Identification
Always a light purple colour, these sponges are covered in small crater-like holes over their surface.
Distribution
Purple-encrusting sponges are found in waters around Australia.
Habitat
Purple-encrusting sponges live on intertidal rocky shores.
Other behaviours and adaptations
Purple-encrusting sponges can be found near the low-tide mark attached to rock surfaces in small, irregular-shaped patches. They are the only sponges common in rock pools exposed to full sunlight.
Classification
- Genus:
- Haliclona
- Family:
- Chalinidae
- Order:
- Haplosclerida
- Subclass:
- Ceractinomorpha
- Class:
- Demospongiae
- Phylum:
- Porifera
- Kingdom:
- Animalia
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Tags sponges, invertebrates, identification, wildlife of sydney,
