vase sponge Rossella nuda

Rossella nuda is found in Antarctica and South Georgia Island from 30 to 900 meters depth [1,6]. R. nuda can be up to 75 centimeters high and thirty centimeters in diameter [1].

Rossella nuda is barrel or vase shaped and its color may be pale brownish-yellow or ochre yellow, greyish or white [1,2,4].

Budding forms of R. nuda have been observed, with approx 30% of sponges having 3-5 buds each, with these possibly being propagules for asexual reproduction [7].



Rossella nuda may be smooth or have conules with spicule tufts on its surface [1].



That's probably the seastar Acodontaster conspicuus (at lower right), munching away on Rossella nuda.

Organisms can be found living within R. nuda and include amphipods, sea spiders, and polychaete worms [5].

Taxonomic Note: Rossella nuda was previously synonymized with Rossella racovitzae [3] but has been reestablished [1].

1: Antarctic Hexactinellida. Dagmar Barthel & Ole S. Tendal. Champaign, Ill. : Koeltz Scientific Books, 1994. Theses Zoologicae, Volume 23. Synopses of the Antarctic Benthos, Volume 6; 2: Ecological Monographs 44(1):105-128, 1974; 3: B.A.N.Z. Antarctic Research Expedition, 1929-1931, under the command of Sir Douglas Mawson, Kt., O.B.E., B.E., D.Sc., F.R.S., Reports -- Series B (Zoology and Botany). Volume 9, part 4. Porifera -- Part 1: Antarctic Sponges. VM Koltun. Adelaide : Mawson Institute for Antarctic Research, University of Adelaide, 1976; 4: Antarctic Science 4(2):137-150, 1992; 5: Associated Fauna of Selected Sponges (Hexactinellida and Demospongiae) from the Weddell Sea, Antarctica. K Kunzmann. Berichte zur Polarforschung / Reports on Polar Research 210, 1996; 6: Antarctic Science 9(4):3921-398, 1997; 7: Berichte zur Polar- und Meeresforschung 402:52-55, 2001

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