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sponges
text index | photo
index
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| Phylum Porifera |
| Prickly
ball sponge Tethya robusta* Family Tethyidae updated Aug 09 Where seen? This colourful ball-shaped sponge with spines is sometimes seen on coral rubble, especially on our Northern shores. Sometimes, a few are seen near one another. Features: 2-5cm in diameter, spherical covered with short, fine spines. It may have filaments that anchor or root the sponge to the surface. Stalked buds may be seen on the body surface. These can develop into new prickly ball sponges. Budding is a common reproduction method in Tethya species. Colours include orange, yellow, beige and white. Looks similar to the Golf ball sponge which has a denser coat of finer spines without bulbous tips. |
 Tuas, Apr 04 |
Prickly ball sponges on Singapore shores
 Pulau Semakau, Dec 08 |
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 Buds on ends of stalks may develop into new sponges. |
 Changi, Jul 05 |
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 Filaments anchor or root the sponge to a hard surface. |
 Tuas, Dec 03  |
 Tuas, Aug 04  |
 Chek Jawa, Jul 05  |
*Species are difficult to positively identify without close examination.
On this website, they are grouped by external features for convenience of display.
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References
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