Four New Species of Carnivorous Sponges Discovered

Posted on April 15, 2014

MBARI scientists have announced the discovery of four new species of carnivorous sponges. The sponges were discovered in the Northeast Pacific Ocean.

Most sponges are filter feeders, but these unique sponges feed by trapping small crustaceans with microscopic hooks. The sponge cells then engulf the trapped prey and rapidly digest it. A close-up view of Asbestopluma monticola, one of the newly discovered species is pictured above. The microscopic image below shows the carcass of a small crustacean caught in the spines of one of the newly discovered sponges.

MBARI marine biologist Lonny Lundsten says in the announcement, "To keep beating the whip-like tails of the choancytes takes a lot of energy. And food is hard to come by in the deep sea. So these sponges trap larger, more nutrient-dense organisms, like crustaceans, using beautiful and intricate microscopic hooks."

Take a look:

A research paper on the new sponges was published here in Zootaxa.



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