Branching Tube Sponge (Leucosolenia complicata)

Branching Tube Sponge (Leucosolenia complicata) — reference image.

Creator: Ernst Haeckel via Wikimedia Commons

Licence: Public domain

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Species record

Branching Tube Sponge

Leucosolenia complicata

Explore the Branching Tube Sponge (Leucosolenia complicata) species record in The Ark Is Earth, including classification, habitat, distribution, conservation information, and sources.

Summary

The Branching Tube Sponge (Leucosolenia complicata) is a small calcareous sponge that forms branching, bushy clusters of tubes along European coasts. It grows in sheltered spaces beneath shore overhangs and filters tiny food particles from seawater.

Classification in this archive

  1. Kingdom: Animals
  2. Phylum: Sponges
  3. Class: Calcareous sponges
  4. Order: Leucosolenida
  5. Family: Leucosoleniidae
  6. Genus: Leucosolenia

Habitat and distribution

Selected documented locations — not a complete species range.

Habitat
sheltered shore overhangs, muddy estuaries, shallow coastal waters
Selected regions
Europe

Conservation status

Conservation status not recorded.

Did you know?

  • It often grows in compact, hanging clusters beneath rocky shore overhangs.

More images

Educational plate detail identifying Leucosolenia complicata, formerly Ascandra pinus.

Educational detail from Ernst Haeckel's Calcispongiae plate identifying Leucosolenia complicata, formerly Ascandra pinus.

Creator: Ernst Haeckel

Licence: Public domain

View image source

Sources and attribution