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black stink sponge
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Porifera
Class:	Demospongiae
Order:	Dictyoceratida
Family:	Irciniidae
Genus:	Ircinia
Species:	I. arbuscula
Binomial name
Ircinia arbuscula (Hyatt, 1877)
Synonyms
Hircinia arbuscula Hyatt, 1877

The black stink sponge (Ircinia arbuscula), is a species of sea sponge in the family Irciniidae. This sponge is known around the Australian coast and around South Africa from the Cape Peninsula to Cape Agulhas.

Description

The black stink sponge grows in crusts of 1–2 cm thick and 10–20 cm across. It is a black encrusting sponge which forms a mat on rocks. Its surface is textured, and the sponge is firm and slippery to touch. Its oscula are inconspicuous. When collected, the smell is distinctive.

Habitat

This sponge lives on rocky reefs subtidally down to 180m.

References

1. "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Ircinia arbuscula (Hyatt, 1877)". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 25 November 2010.
2. ^ 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
3. Jones, Georgina. A field guide to the marine animals of the Cape Peninsula. SURG, Cape Town, 2008. ISBN 978-0-620-41639-9

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