Elephant Ear Sponge (species: Ianthella basta) in Lizard Island Field Guide (Lizard Island Field Guide)
Lizard Island Field Guide > Marine Life > Invertebrates > Porifera > Ianthella basta (gallery)
Ianthella basta
Elephant Ear Sponge


©Anne Hoggett: A small Ianthella basta (thick morph) at the lagoon bommie, Lizard Island.

©Anne Hoggett: Surface detail of a small Ianthella basta (thick morph) at the lagoon bommie, Lizard Island.

©Heidi Luter: Ianthella basta (thin morph) at the lagoon entrance, Lizard Island.

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Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Porifera
Class Demospongiae
Order Verongiida
Family Ianthellidae
Genus Ianthella
Species Ianthella basta

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Lizard Island area: all known taxa
Lizard Island Field Guide

Distinguishing features

Dr Heidi Luter (Australian Institute of Marine Science; Jan 2023) advises that thin and thick forms of this yellow morph exist, and there is also a purple morph. The microbial community across all morphologies is remarkably similar, with three dominant symbionts.

The purple morph has not been recorded from Lizard Island.

Size

  • Size data has not been obtained.

Synonyms

Distribution


©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution

Web resources

References

  • Andreakis, N., H.M. Luter and N.S. Webster (2012). Cryptic speciation and phylogeographic relationships in the elephant ear sponge Ianthella basta (Porifera, Ianthellidae) from northern Australia. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 166: 225-235. LIRS catalog number 90304.