Purple encrusting sponge, purple intertidal sponge • Haliclona permollis
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Purple encrusting sponge growing on rocks in the low intertidal of a Calvert Island beach. Photos by Rebecca Segal (top left), Christina Meschkat (right), and Angeleen Olson (bottom left).
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Identification
This sponge forms a thin, smooth crust on rocks. The crust is actually composed of many small, tightly-packed mounds, each with a volcano-shaped pore (oscula), so the overall crust appears dotted with small raised holes. Individual mounds can sometimes be differentiated. This sponge varies in colour from pink to purple to lavender.
Habitat & Range
This sponge is a common species in rocky intertidal areas, to a depth of 6 m. It is often found in tidepools or rocky crevices. Its range extends from southern Alaska to southern California.
Similar Species
As an intertidal sponge, this species is one of the few Pacific Northwest sponges that is readily seen by beachcombers. Yellow-green encrusting sponge (Halichondria panicea) is another such sponge and has a similar form, but is an obviously different colour.
Intriguing Info
There is a very similar sponge found on the Atlantic coast of North America, but whether it is the same species or not is unclear.
Like all sponges, this species can be homogenized by sieving the cells through a fine mesh. As long as the individual cells have not been killed, the animal will then re-assort itself into its original morphology.
iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/293249-Haliclona-cinerea
This sponge forms a thin, smooth crust on rocks. The crust is actually composed of many small, tightly-packed mounds, each with a volcano-shaped pore (oscula), so the overall crust appears dotted with small raised holes. Individual mounds can sometimes be differentiated. This sponge varies in colour from pink to purple to lavender.
Habitat & Range
This sponge is a common species in rocky intertidal areas, to a depth of 6 m. It is often found in tidepools or rocky crevices. Its range extends from southern Alaska to southern California.
Similar Species
As an intertidal sponge, this species is one of the few Pacific Northwest sponges that is readily seen by beachcombers. Yellow-green encrusting sponge (Halichondria panicea) is another such sponge and has a similar form, but is an obviously different colour.
Intriguing Info
There is a very similar sponge found on the Atlantic coast of North America, but whether it is the same species or not is unclear.
Like all sponges, this species can be homogenized by sieving the cells through a fine mesh. As long as the individual cells have not been killed, the animal will then re-assort itself into its original morphology.
iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/293249-Haliclona-cinerea
References
Harbo, R. M. (1999). Whelks to whales: Coastal marine life of the Pacific Northwest. Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing. P. 23.
Lamb, A., and Hanby, B. (2005). Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest [electronic resource]. Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing.
Authors and editors
Joel White, Kelly Fretwell, and Brian Starzomski (2014).
Harbo, R. M. (1999). Whelks to whales: Coastal marine life of the Pacific Northwest. Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing. P. 23.
Lamb, A., and Hanby, B. (2005). Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest [electronic resource]. Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing.
Authors and editors
Joel White, Kelly Fretwell, and Brian Starzomski (2014).
