Maine Biota Project

Sponges of Maine

(Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Porifera)


Below is a working list of Maine’s sponges. Species attributed to Pollock (1998) are those that were reported as occurring between Cape Cod and Newfoundland.
Class Order Family Genus Species Authority Common Name Sources (full citations given below this table)
Calcarea Clathrinida Clathrinidae Clathrina coriacea (Montague) ? DMC
Calcarea Leucosolenida Leucosoleniidae Leucosolenia botryoides Bowerbank organ-pipe sponge DMC; Pollock (1998)
Calcarea Leucosolenida Leucosoleniidae Leucosolenia complicata (Montague) ? DMC
Calcarea Leucosolenida Leucosoleniidae Leucosolenia lundbecki ? ? DMC
Calcarea Leucosolenida Sycettidae Scypha ciliata (Fabricius) little vase sponge Pollock (1998)
Demospongiae Dendroceritida Darwinellidae Aplysilla sulphurea Schulze ? DMC
Demospongiae Hadromerida Clionaidae Cliona celata Grant sulfur sponge DMC; Procter (1933, p. 114.); Pollock (1998)
Demospongiae Hadromerida Clionaidae Cliona vastifica ? ? DMC
Demospongiae Hadromerida Polymastiidae Polymastia mamillaris (O. F. Mueller) ? DMC
Demospongiae Hadromerida Polymastiidae Polymastia robusta Bowerbank ? DMC; Procter (1933, p. 110.)
Demospongiae Hadromerida Polymastiidae Polymastia uberrima ? ? DMC
Demospongiae Hadromerida Suberitidae Pseudosuberites sulphureus (Bean) ? DMC
Demospongiae Hadromerida Suberitidae Suberites concinnus Lambe ? Procter (1933, p. 109.)
Demospongiae Hadromerida Suberitidae Suberites ficus (Johnston) fig sponge DMC (as Suberites ficus (= compacta)); Pollock (1998)
Demospongiae Hadromerida Suberitidae Suberites hispidus (Johnston) ? Procter (1933, p. 106.); Pollock (1998)
Demospongiae Hadromerida Suberitidae Suberites montalbidus Carter ? Procter (1933, p. 108.)
Demospongiae Halichondrida Halichondriidae Halichondria bowerbanki Burton yellow sun sponge Pollock (1998)
Demospongiae Halichondrida Halichondriidae Halichondria fibrosa Fristedt ? DMC; Procter (1933, p. 87.)
Demospongiae Halichondrida Halichondriidae Halichondria genitrix Schmidt ? DMC; Procter (1933, p. 87.)
Demospongiae Halichondrida Halichondriidae Halichondria oculata ? ? DMC
Demospongiae Halichondrida Halichondriidae Halichondria panicea (Pallas) crumb-of-bread sponge DMC; Pollock (1998); Procter (1933, p. 86.)
Demospongiae Halichondrida Halichondriidae Halichondria sitiens Schmidt ? DMC (as Eumastia (Halichondria) sitiens); Procter (1933, p. 88., as Eumastia sitiens)
Demospongiae Halichondrida Halichondriidae Hymeniacidon heliophila (Parker) ? Procter (1933, p. 102., as Stylotella simplissima)
Demospongiae Halichondrida Halichondriidae Topsentia genitrix ? ? DMC
Demospongiae Haplosclerida Chalinidae Chalina oculata (Pallas) mermaid’s glove Procter (1933, p. 93.)
Demospongiae Halisarcida Halisarcidae Halisarca dujardini ? ? DMC
Demospongiae Haplosclerida Chalinidae Gellius angulatus ? ? DMC
Demospongiae Haplosclerida Chalinidae Haliclona ecbasis de Laubenfels ? Procter (1933, p. 88., as Reniera cinerea)
Demospongiae Haplosclerida Chalinidae Haliclona loosanoffi ? ? DMC
Demospongiae Haplosclerida Chalinidae Haliclona oculata (Pallas) finger sponge DMC; Pollock (1998)
Demospongiae Haplosclerida Chalinidae Haliclona permollis (Bowerbank) purple sponge Pollock (1998)
Demospongiae Haplosclerida Chalinidae Haliclona rosea (Bowerbank) ? Procter (1933, p. 89., as Reniera heterofibrosa)
Demospongiae Haplosclerida Chalinidae Reniera urceolus (Rathke and Vahl) ? Procter (1933, p. 93.)
Demospongiae Haplosclerida Chalinidae Reniera ventrilabrum Fristedt ? Procter (1933, p. 90.)
Demospongiae Haplosclerida Spongillidae Spongilla lacustris (L.) a freshwater sponge Smith (June 1921, p. 14.)
Demospongiae Poecilosclerida Acarnidae Iophon pattersoni (Bowerbank) ? Procter (1933, p. 104., as Iophon chelifer)
Demospongiae Poecilosclerida Coelosphaeridae Lissodendoryx fragilis ? ? DMC
Demospongiae Poecilosclerida Coelosphaeridae Lissodendoryx lundbecki ? ? DMC
Demospongiae Poecilosclerida Esperiopsidae Esperiopsis normani ? ? DMC
Demospongiae Poecilosclerida Hymedesmiidae Hymedesmia similis Lundbeck ? DMC
Demospongiae Poecilosclerida Isodictyidae Isodictya deichmannae (de Laubenfels) ? DMC; Pollock (1998)
Demospongiae Poecilosclerida Isodictyidae Isodictya palmata (Ellis & Solander) palmate sponge Pollock (1998); Procter (1933, p. 101., as Homoeodictya palmata)
Demospongiae Poecilosclerida Isodictyidae Neoesperiopsis digitata (Miklucho-maclay) ? Procter (1933, p. 94., as Esperiopsis quatsinoensis)
Demospongiae Poecilosclerida Microcionidae Microciona prolifera (Ellis & Solander) red beard sponge DMC; Pollock (1998); Procter (1933, p. 104.)
Demospongiae Poecilosclerida Microcionidae Plocamia ambigua ? ? DMC
Demospongiae Poecilosclerida Mycalidae Mycale lingua (Bowerbank) ? Procter (1933, p. 97.)
Demospongiae Poecilosclerida Mycalidae Mycale ovulum (Schmidt) ? Procter (1933, p. 98.)
Demospongiae Poecilosclerida Mycalidae Mycale placoides (Carter) ? DMC
Demospongiae Poecilosclerida Myxillidae Myxilla fimbriata (Bowerbank) ? Procter (1933, p. 100.)
Demospongiae Poecilosclerida Myxillidae Myxilla incrustans (Esper) ? DMC; Pollock (1998); Procter (1933, p. 99.)
Demospongiae Poecilosclerida Tedaniidae Tedania suctoria (Schmidt) ? DMC; Procter (1933, p. 101.)
Demospongiae ? ? Artemisina arcigera ? ? DMC
Demospongiae ? ? Iophon dubius ? ? DMC


Sources:
DMC = Darling Marine Center website (https://dmc.umaine.edu/research/species-list/) accessed 11 August 2020.
Pollock, Leland W. 1998. A Practical Guide to the Marine Animals of Northeastern North America. Rutgers University Press; New Brunswick, New Jersey. (ISBN 0-8135-2398-2).
Procter, William. 1933. Biological Survey of the Mount Desert Region, Part V. Philadelphia: The Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology.
Smith, Frank. June 1921. Distribution of the Fresh-water Sponges of North America. Division of the [Illinois] Natural History Survey, Vol. XIV, Article II, page 14.