Candelabrum Sponge
The candelabrum sponge (Corticium candelabrum) is a soft, cushion-like sponge of dark Mediterranean caves and crevices, named for the candelabrum-shaped spicules in its skeleton. It belongs to the homoscleromorphs.
The candelabrum sponge (Corticium candelabrum) is a soft, cushion-like sponge of dark Mediterranean caves and crevices, named for the candelabrum-shaped spicules in its skeleton. It belongs to the homoscleromorphs.
🧬 Field Guide Specimen: Open Candelabrum Sponge in the CRV Science Field Guide to log the specimen, see its place among the Metazoa lineages in the Cladogram Explorer, and test your recall in the Red List conservation game.
Branching Spicules
The skeleton is made of tiny silica spicules with four branched arms, shaped like candelabra, scattered in the tissue. Homoscleromorph sponges lack the large spicules of many other sponges.
Epithelial Sheets: A Window on Early Animals
Like Oscarella, Corticium has true epithelial layers, with cell junctions and a basement membrane. Studying such sponges helps clarify when features such as tissues arose in animals. See Lobed Oscarella Sponge.
Life in the Dark
The sponge lives in low-light habitats, and grows slowly. Chemicals from Mediterranean sponges are being studied for potential medical use.
Candelabrum Sponge at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Corticium candelabrum |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Porifera |
| Class | Homoscleromorpha |
| Order | Homosclerophorida |
| Family | Plakinidae |
| Field Guide group | Porifera: Sponges (Basal Metazoans) |
| Diagnostic feature (Field Guide) | Firm, rounded orange-brown cushions in shaded Mediterranean caves, with tiny candelabra-shaped silica spicules. |
| Class | Homoscleromorpha |
| Habitat | Dark Mediterranean caves |