Hippospongia is a genus of sponges belonging to the family Spongiidae. The genus has almost cosmopolitan distribution.
Species
The following species are accepted within Hippospongia:
- Hippospongia ammata <small>de Laubenfels, 1954</small>
- Hippospongia anfractuosa <small>(Carter, 1885) </small>
- Hippospongia canaliculata <small>(Lendenfeld, 1886) </small>
- Hippospongia cerebrum <small>Lendenfeld, 1889</small>
- Hippospongia communis <small>(Lamarck, 1814) </small>
- Hippospongia cylindrica <small>Lendenfeld, 1889</small>
- Hippospongia densa <small>Lendenfeld, 1889</small>
- Hippospongia derasa <small>Ridley, 1884</small>
- Hippospongia elastica <small>Lendenfeld, 1889</small>
- Hippospongia fistulosa <small>Lendenfeld, 1889</small>
- Hippospongia galea <small>(Lendenfeld, 1886) </small>
- Hippospongia gossypina <small>(Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864) </small>
- Hippospongia lachne <small>(Laubenfels, 1936) </small>
- Hippospongia laxa <small>Lendenfeld, 1889</small>
- Hippospongia massa <small>Lendenfeld, 1889</small>
- Hippospongia mauritiana <small>(Hyatt, 1877) </small>
- Hippospongia micropora <small>(Lendenfeld, 1889) </small>
- Hippospongia mollissima <small>(Lendenfeld, 1889) </small>
- Hippospongia multicia <small>Wiedenmayer in Hooper & Wiedenmayer, 1994</small>
- Hippospongia nigra <small>(Lendenfeld, 1886) </small>
- Hippospongia osculata <small>Lendenfeld, 1889</small>
- Hippospongia pacifica <small>(Hyatt, 1877) </small>
- Hippospongia seposita <small>Wiedenmayer in Hooper & Wiedenmayer, 1994</small>
- Hippospongia typica <small>Lendenfeld, 1889</small>
Habitat
Hippospongia exhibits a nearly cosmopolitan distribution in tropical and subtropical marine waters worldwide, with concentrations in the Mediterranean Sea, Caribbean Sea, Indo-Pacific region, and eastern Atlantic Ocean. Distribution patterns show absences in polar regions and the deep sea, limiting the genus to warmer, shallower marine environments.
References