calcareous sponge

calcareous sponge

sponge
      any of a class (Calcarea) of sponges characterized by skeletons composed entirely of calcium carbonate spicules (needlelike structures). Calcareous sponges occur mainly on the rocky bottoms of the continental shelves in temperate, shallow waters; they are usually dull in colour. Most are small, seldom exceeding 15 cm (6 inches). A few fossil representatives are known from the Burgess Shale (a rock formation deposited about 505 million years ago) in British Columbia, Canada.

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  • calcareous sponge — noun Many sponges, of the class Calcarea, having skeletons composed of spicules of calcium carbonate …   Wiktionary

  • sponge — spongeless, adj. spongelike, adj. spongingly, adv. /spunj/, n., v., sponged, sponging. n. 1. any aquatic, chiefly marine animal of the phylum Porifera, having a porous structure and usually a horny, siliceous or calcareous internal skeleton or… …   Universalium

  • sponge — [spunj] n. [ME < OE < L spongia < Gr spongia, spongos] 1. any of a phylum (Porifera) of simple, aquatic, sessile animals having a porous structure and a tough, often siliceous or calcareous, skeleton 2. the elastic skeleton, or a piece… …   English World dictionary

  • Sponge spicule — Sponge spicules Spicules are structural elements found in most sponges. They provide structural support and deter predators. Large spicules, visible to the naked eye are referred to as megascleres, while smaller, microscopic ones are termed… …   Wikipedia

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  • sponge — /spʌndʒ / (say spunj) noun 1. any of a group of aquatic (mostly marine) animals (phylum Porifera) which are characterised by a porous structure and (usually) a horny, siliceous, or calcareous skeleton or framework, and which, except in the larval …  

  • siliceous sponge — ▪ sponge       any sponge in which the main skeletal component is silica as opposed to calcium carbonate or fibrous organic materials only. More than 95 percent of all known sponge species have a siliceous skeleton and belong to the class… …   Universalium

  • sponge — [[t]spʌndʒ[/t]] n. v. sponged, spong•ing 1) ivt any porous, aquatic, sessile animal of the phylum Porifera, having a fibrous siliceous or calcareous internal skeleton and lacking tissue organization 2) the skeleton of certain sponges, readily… …   From formal English to slang

  • horny sponge —       any sponge of the orders Dictyoceratida and Dendroceratida (class Demospongiae). It has a skeleton consisting exclusively of fibrous organic components. Most other sponges, by contrast, have siliceous or calcareous elements as well as… …   Universalium

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