''Sycon ciliatum'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

calcareous sponge The calcareous sponges of class Calcarea are members of the animal phylum Porifera, the cellular sponges. They are characterized by spicules made of calcium carbonate in the form of calcite or aragonite. While the spicules in most species hav ...

belonging to the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Sycettidae Sycettidae is a family of calcareous sponges in the order Leucosolenida. References *http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=131617 accessed 11 November 2010''Sycettidae''at Encyclopedia of Life The ''Encyclopedia of Life'' ( ...

Description

This small purse sponge grows singly or in small groups from a single holdfast. It is up to five centimetres long, fairly stiff, greyish-white and spindle-shaped. The osculum at the tip is fringed with fine spicules.Barrett, J. & C. M. Yonge (1958) ''Collins Pocket Guide to the Sea Shore''. Collins, London p41. The surface of the sponge appears furry from its covering of fine papillae. The skeleton consists of a tangential layer of triactines and another of tetractines. This species can be distinguished from the rather similar '' Sycon raphanus'' by the fact that the

choanocyte Choanocytes (also known as "collar cells") are cells that line the interior of asconoid, syconoid and leuconoid body types of sponges that contain a central flagellum, or ''cilium,'' surrounded by a collar of microvilli which are connected by a ...

chambers are not fused but are free from each other.Marine Species Identification Portal
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Distribution and habitat

''Sycon ciliatum'' is common along the coasts of Europe and occurs on the eastern fringes of the Atlantic Ocean from Scandinavia south to Portugal. It is found low down on the shore and in the

neritic zone The neritic zone (or sublittoral zone) is the relatively shallow part of the ocean above the drop-off of the continental shelf, approximately in depth. From the point of view of marine biology it forms a relatively stable and well-illuminated ...

, amongst

seaweed Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of ''Rhodophyta'' (red), ''Phaeophyta'' (brown) and ''Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as ke ...

, under stones or in rock pools in areas without strong wave action.

References

Leucosolenida Animals described in 1780 {{calcarea-stub