Spongia officinalis
| Spongia officinalis | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Porifera |
| Class: | Demospongiae |
| Order: | Dictyoceratida |
| Family: | Spongiidae |
| Genus: | Spongia |
| Species: | S. officinalis |
| Binomial name | |
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Spongia officinalis Linnaeus, 1759 |
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Spongia officinalis, better known as bath sponge, is a commercially used sponge. It is found throughout the Mediterranean Sea.
It is a hermaphroditic animal and can reproduce asexually by means of budding or through sexual reproduction. When alive, its color is dark grey; upon drying it becomes either yellow or brown. Young larvae swim freely until they attach themselves to the sea floor or other adequate ground. After that, they start growing slowly, as it may take as much as 40 years to grow the size of a baseball.
Harvesting has led to a decrease in population.
Mediterranean Sea, Caribbean Sea and West Indies.
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