Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
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Two Little Fishies 

Family Ircinidae

Sarcotragus foetidus

(Schmidt, 1868)

Black Leather Sponge

Not Reef Tank Suitable

Not Suitable for Fish-Only Tank

Range: Northern Atlantic Ocean: Mediterranean.

Natural Environment: Inhabits rubble areas near algae growths.

Aquarium Suitability: Not collected for the home tropical aquarium trade.

Best left in the wild.

Note: For a photo of this sponge, visit the Baensch Marine Atlas Vol. 2, page 114.

Taxonomy:

    Kingdom: Animalia

    Phylum: Porifera

    Class: Demospongiae

    Subclass: Keratosa

    Order: Dictyoceratida

    Family: Ircinidae

    Genus: Sarcotragus

FYI: Has a temperature range of 50 to 65°F (10 - 18°C).

Sponges posses no nervous, digestive or excretory systems, and feed by filtering suspended bacteria and fine detritus. Strong water movement is vital to almost all, not only for carrying food to these sessile creatures but also to carry waste/unused matter away. In fact, a sponge the size of a baseball can filter about fifty gallons of water per hour!

Was previously identified as Sarcotragus muscarum.

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