Boring Sponge
Colloquial Nickname: Sulfur Sponge, Monkey Dung
Scientific Name: Cliona celata
Field Markings: Bright yellow to orange-red.
Size: Individuals are half an inch wide and one-sizteenth of
an inch tall. Colonies can be up to 12 inches long.
Habitat: Along the rocky bottom and on shells of dead
mollusks and corals
Seasonal Appearance: Year-round
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES
AND BEHAVIORS
The larvae of boring sponges settle onto shells of oysters
and other mollusks. After settling, they develop into tiny
sponges and burrow into the host by secreting sulfuric acid.
The acid chemically etches small tunnels and slowly eats away
at the shell, weakening and even disintegrating the host.
Oyster and clam shells covered with small pock-like marks
show evidence of boring shell infestation. Shells occupied by
boring sponges are brittle and breakable. Sometimes the boring
sponge colonies will entirely cover a shell in a thick orange
mass, often killing the oyster or clam. A healthy oyster can
combat the attack by filling in the holes left by the sponge with
a thin layer of shell material. Oyster and clam shells damaged by
these holes are usually so weakened that they dissolve, which
reduces shell accumulation on the Bay’s bottom.
When clustered in a colony, the boring sponge resembles a
large, firm, irregularly shaped household sponge. Covered by
small pores, boring sponges are simple animals belonging to the
phylum Porifera,
meaning
“porebearers.”
The sulphurousyellow pores of the
boring
sponge
protrude from holes
in mollusk shells or
coral. In some cases,
they may actually
grow over the host entirely.
Considered among the most simple and primitive of all
multicellular animal groups, sponges lack specialized organs and
distinct tissues. Basic life functions such as eating, breathing
and removal of waste are carried out exclusively by individual
cells acting independently of one another. As filter feeders,
boring sponges eat small particles of food brought into their
bodies via sea water. They have no nervous system and are
non-responsive to touch.
RELATIONSHIP TO PEOPLE
Boring sponges are considered a nuisance by commercial
fishermen. Their large numbers present in the catches of trawling
vessels result in an enormous amount of excess weight.
HOW TO GET YOUR OWN COPY
RISAA members can purchase their own copy of The
Uncommon Guide To Common Life on Narragansett Bay
for $15 from the RISAA Merchandise Committee. Stop by
the committee table at any monthly RISAA meeting.
P.O. Box 763
Londonderry, NH 03053
Tel: 603-434-4689
Fax: 603-432-3902
E-mail:
[email protected]
Manufacturer of Fine
Terminal Tackle for the
Saltwater Fisherman
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Check out our web site at
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- 38 -
R.I.S.A.A. / January, 2013