Haliclona anonyma
{{Short description|Species of sponge}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Sponges at Mushroom Pinnacle DSC00377.JPG
| genus = Haliclona
| parent = Haliclona (Haliclona)
| species = anonyma
| authority = (Stephens, 1915)
| synonyms = * Haliclona anonyma (Stephens, 1915)
- Siphonochalina anonyma Stephens, 1915
}}
Haliclona anonyma, the turret sponge or tubular fan sponge, is a species of demosponge.{{cite web |url=http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=234295 |title=WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Haliclona (Haliclona) anonyma (Stephens, 1915) |website=www.marinespecies.org |access-date=25 November 2010}}Samaai, T. and Gibbons, M.J. 2005. Demospongiae taxonomy and biodiversity of the Benguela region on the west coast of South Africa. Afr. Nat. Hist. 1(1):1-96 It is endemic to South Africa,{{Cite book|last1=Atkinson|first1=LJ|url=http://www.saeon.ac.za/Field%20Guide%20to%20SA%20Offshore%20Marine%20Invertebrates_web%20full%20version.pdf|title=Field Guide to the Offshore Marine Invertebrates of South Africa|last2=Sink|first2=KJ|publisher=Malachite Marketing and Media|year=2018|location=Pretoria}} where it occurs between the Cape Peninsula and Sodwana Bay.
Description
Haliclona anonyma grows to about {{Convert|50|cm|in|abbr=on}} across and has turrets of up to {{Convert|15|cm|in|abbr=on}} long. It is a pink to purplish or brown many-turreted sponge, which grows in sheets usually on vertical walls. The coalescent (fused) tubular branches terminate in rounded ends with slightly raised conspicuous oscules. Its surface is slightly bristly with small ostia (channels allowing for water movement), and its texture is soft and compressible.
Distribution and habitat
This sponge is endemic to the south and west coasts of South Africa. It occurs from the intertidal zone.Jones, Georgina. A field guide to the marine animals of the Cape Peninsula. SURG, Cape Town, 2008. {{ISBN|978-0-620-41639-9}} It has been found to occur down to {{Convert|144|m|ft|abbr=on}} in depth. They are frequently attached to rocks by coralline algae which grows between the sponge matrix.{{Cite journal|last1=Stuart|first1=V.|last2=Klumpp|first2=D. W.|date=1984|title=Evidence for food-resource partitioning by kelp-bed filter feeders|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24816066|journal=Marine Ecology Progress Series|volume=16|issue=1/2|pages=27–37|doi=10.3354/meps016027 |jstor=24816066 |bibcode=1984MEPS...16...27S |issn=0171-8630|doi-access=free}}
References
{{Commons category|Haliclona anonyma}}
{{Reflist}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q2535355}}
Category:Sponges described in 1915
{{demosponge-stub}}