T. LUNDÄLVwater depth of 512 meters,” Janussen said. The species name means
“coral-loving” and is apt: As underwater photographs made by a dive
robot show, the sponges are found exclusively on cold-water corals.
According to Göcke, “The newly described species lives on the corals
Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata. Such an unusual association
was not previously known in these organisms.” Most sponges are de-
tritivores and also feed heavily on phytoplankton, although some spe-
cies are known to capture small fishes and other prey items.
The scientists assume that living substrate provides the sponges
with better access to food. “We believe that due to their elevated posi-
tion, Cladorhiza corallophila are less affected by sediments and closer
to potential prey, for example copepods,” said Janussen.
Carnivorous sponges have so far been known mainly from low-
nutrient waters, especially from the deep sea, where they cannot
absorb sufficient food by filtration and have adapted their diets ac-
cordingly. “Off the coast of Mauritania, however, we have extremely
nutrient-rich waters,” Göcke said. “Nevertheless, these small car-
nivorous sponges are obviously more successful than other potential
colonizers because they grow on the corals.”
—Judith Jördens, Senckenberg MuseumREFERENCE
Göcke, C, et al. 2016. Cladorhiza corallophila sp. nov., a new carnivorous
sponge (Cladorhizidae, Demospongiae) living in close association with
Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata (Scleractinia). Zootaxa 4168 (3):
512–24, doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4168.3.4.The newly discovered
carnivorous sponge
species on a cold-
water coral.
An elevated position may help
the sponge hunt prey.The small
species reaches a maximum size
of just 4 inches (10 cm).