Stylocordyla borealis (Loven, 1868)
provided by British Antarctic Survey
Description
White or orange head, either spherical or oblong, on a smooth, long, slender stalk. The head is up to 2.5 cm diameter and the entire sponge grows up to 20cm high.
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Species distribution
13 to 2,900m. Stylocordyla borealis is an example of a bipolar sponge, found in both Arctic and Antarctic seas. This is, unsurprisingly, a rare situation in Antarctic species. It has been found as far south as Canada and Norway and as far north as New Zealand, with occurrences in the tropics near Brazil and Granada.
Stylocordyla borealis is a suspension feeder. It occurs in patches, probably due to its mode of reproduction, in which eggs are incubated inside the mother sponge and released as fully complete young sponges to settle nearby. Stylocordyla borealis has a system of rooting spicules which enables it to attach and grow in soft bottomed areas.
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