APHOTOMARINE

An educational resource dedicated mainly to the photography
and diversity of marine life that can be found in coastal waters
and intertidal areas of Great Britain and Ireland by David Fenwick.

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Green algal sponge parasite
Microspora ficulinae
- in sponge Halichondria panicea on rock overhang 1

Green algal sponge parasite
Microspora ficulinae
- in sponge Halichondria panicea on rock overhang 2

Green algal sponge parasite
Microspora ficulinae
- in sponge Halichondria panicea on rock overhang 3

Green algal sponge parasite
Microspora ficulinae
- in sponge Halichondria panicea on rock overhang 4

Green algal sponge parasite
Microspora ficulinae
- algal penetration 1

Green algal sponge parasite
Microspora ficulinae
- opacity / concentration 1

Green algal sponge parasite
Microspora ficulinae
- with 0.1mm division rule 1

Green algal sponge parasite
Microspora ficulinae
- with 0.01mm division rule 1

Green algal sponge parasite
Microspora ficulinae
- with 0.01mm division rule 2

Green algal sponge parasite
Microspora ficulinae
- location / Porthallow 1

Microspora ficulinae was frequently encountered on rock overhangs on the lowershore in the sponge Halichondria panicea, Breadcrumb sponge, at Porthallow, Lizard Peninsula, Cornwall, 01.03.17. Read more on bottom of page.

Green algal sponge parasite
Microspora ficulinae
- in crevice at Hannafore 1

Green algal sponge parasite
Microspora ficulinae
- in crevice at Hannafore 2

Green algal sponge parasite
Microspora ficulinae
- in crevice at Hannafore 3

Green algal sponge parasite
Microspora ficulinae
- sample for examination 1

Green algal sponge parasite
Microspora ficulinae
- close-up of sample 1

Specimen above found on an in Halichondria in a small rock crevice on the lowershore at Hannafore, Cornwall, 30.03.17.

Green algal sponge parasite
Microspora ficulinae
- on Rainbow Wrack 1

Green algal sponge parasite
Microspora ficulinae
- on Rainbow Wrack 2

Green algal sponge parasite
Microspora ficulinae
- on Rainbow Wrack 3

Green algal sponge parasite
Microspora ficulinae
- on Rainbow Wrack 4

Green algal sponge parasite
Microspora ficulinae
- on Rainbow Wrack 5

Green algal sponge parasite
Microspora ficulinae
- infected / not infected 1

Green algal sponge parasite
Microspora ficulinae
- algal penetration 2

Green algal sponge parasite
Microspora ficulinae
- algal penetration 3

Specimen above found at Chimney Rocks, Penzance, Cornwall, 14.02.17.

Green algal sponge parasite
Microspora ficulinae
- on rocks in North Devon 1

Specimen above found on rocks to the west of Lee Bay, Ilfracombe, North Devon, 22.09.17.

Green algal sponge parasite
Microspora ficulinae
- on sponge covered algae 1

Green algal sponge parasite
Microspora ficulinae
- on sponge covered algae 2

Green algal sponge parasite
Microspora ficulinae
- on sponge covered algae 3

Green algal sponge parasite
Microspora ficulinae
- on sponge covered algae 4

Green algal sponge parasite
Microspora ficulinae
- on sponge covered algae 5

Green algal sponge parasite
Microspora ficulinae
- on sponge covered algae 6

Green algal sponge parasite
Microspora ficulinae
- with 0.01mm division rule 3

Green algal sponge parasite
Microspora ficulinae
- with 0.01mm division rule 4

Green algal sponge parasite
Microspora ficulinae
- filaments 1

Green algal sponge parasite
Microspora ficulinae
- spicule identification 1

Green algal sponge parasite
Microspora ficulinae
- location 2

The parasitic green algae Microspora ficulinae was present on and in the sponge Halichondria panicea, which was itself found on the brown algae Cystoseira nodicaulis at Carnsew Pool, Hayle. 10.02.17. Species was confirmed by Prof. Michael Guiry. This may be the first Cornish record of Microspora ficulinae, but it is something that the author has observed before on a number of occasions on Cystoseira collected in Mounts Bay. This species may be overlooked and under-recorded, it is probably unlikely to be rare.

This species is a known parasite of Halichondria panicea, Breadcrumb sponge, but other Halichondria species such as H. bowerbanki may also be infected. It can occur on sponge attached to rocks or algae. The same species is also known from Suberites ficus, Sea orange, Sulphur or Fig sponge, a species in which it was first found and described, but we need to confirm through sequencing whether the same species of algae infects different sponges as the sponges are not related. If a sample of sponge is taken it can be placed in a fridge and cultured for a few days, a sample then taken from around the oscules (openings) or where the sponge is torn. Only a tiny amount of material is needed to confirm the presence of the alga, but it does needs to be observed under a high powered compound microscope because algal filaments are small. It also has to be noted that Halichondria panicea can be naturally green, so if there is any doubt about the presence of the parasitic algae then microscopic examination is needed.

Microspora ficulinae was found in the sponge Halichondria panicea to the west of Lee Bay, North Devon, 22.09.17.

AlgaeBase is a database of information on algae that includes terrestrial, marine and freshwater organisms.

The main objective of this website is in furthering environmental awareness and education through the medium of photography. To increase awareness and access to the wildlife of the region and help

people find and identify it. Sometimes the difference between species is obvious but many species can only be determined by observing microscopic characteristics that are specific to any one species.

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