Clathrina clathrus

Clathrina clathrus is a species of calcareous sponge belonging to the family Clathrinidae.

Clathrina clathrus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Porifera
Class:	Calcarea
Order:	Clathrinida
Family:	Clathrinidae
Genus:	Clathrina
Species:	C. clathrus
Binomial name
Clathrina clathrus (Schmidt, 1864)
Synonyms
Ascetta clathrina Haeckel, 1872 Ascetta clathrus (Schmidt, 1864) Ascetta maeandrina Haeckel, 1872 Ascetta mirabilis Haeckel, 1872 Clathrina sulphurea Gray, 1867 Grantia clathrus Schmidt, 1864 Leucosolenia clathrus (Schmidt, 1864) Nardoa labyrinthus Schmid, 1872

This yellow (occasionally white) sponge, up to 10 cm in diameter, usually appears cushion-shaped at a distance (its close relative Clathrina coriacea is normally flatter in appearance). Close-up the sponge can be seen to consist of a tangled mass of tubes (these tubes are thicker and less tightly knit than in C. coriacea and there is no osculum as found in that species). Like C. coriacea, the spicules are exclusively three-pointed triactines.

This is a shallow-water species found in the Mediterranean and on Atlantic coasts of Europe as far north as the British Isles.