Geodia barretti
| Geodia barretti | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Porifera |
| Class: | Demospongiae |
| Order: | Astrophorida |
| Family: | Geodiidae |
| Genus: | Geodia |
| Species: | G. barretti |
| Binomial name | |
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Geodia barretti Bowerbank, 1858 |
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Geodia barretti is a massive deep-sea sponge species from the boreal waters of the North Atlantic, fairly common on the coasts of Norway and Sweden. It is a dominant species in boreal sponge grounds, from the North-East Atlantic and the North-West Atlantic. According to morphology and molecular data, this species belongs to the Geodiidae family.
Massive sponge, often irregularly lobate, whitish to light yellow color. The inside is light brown. Surface is smooth. Oscules are grouped in more or less shallow depressions (= preoscules) while pores are spread over the whole body. There is a distinct cortex about 0.5 mm thick, it is made of ball-shaped spicules called sterrasters.
One meta-transcriptome was obtained by pyrosequencing from a specimen collected south of Bergen (Norway) in 2007. Double-stranded cDNA was sequenced on a GF FLX sequencer (Roche Applied Sciences/454 Life Sciences, Barnford, CT). rRNA ribo-tags revealed a microsymbiont community, dominated by group SAR202 of Chloroflexi, candidate phylum Poribacteria and Acidobacteria. The most abundant mRNAs coded for key metabolic enzymes of nitrification from ammonia-oxidizing Archaea as well as candidate genes involved in related processes.
This sponge was named in honor of one of its discoverers, the biologist Lucas Barrett (1837-1862).
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Wikipedia