Bell Sponge, Ircinia campana

Bell Sponge, Ircinia campana. Underwater photographs taken in the coastal waters off Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands, December, 2019. Photographs and identification courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.

Phylogeny: The Bell Sponge, Ircinia campana (Lamarck, 1814), is a member of the  Irciniidae Family of Vase Sponges. The genus Ircinia is one of four genera in this family, and there are ninety-four species in this genus. They are also known as the Vase Garlic Sponge.

Morphology:  Bell Sponges may be vase, bowl, or cup shaped. One edge of the bowl may be higher than the others. Some specimens display weak to strong vertical ribs on the exterior. The osculi are  1 mm (0.05 inches) to 5 mm (0.25 inches) wide, and only on the inside of the bowl. These sponges may be gray, cream, or cinnamon in color. They have a tough, rubbery consistency. Bell Sponges reach 60 cm ( 2 feet 0 inches) in height.

Habitat and Distribution:  Bell Sponges are found on harder bottom substrates in a variety of habitats, including: mangroves, seagrass beds, coralline algae reefs, and inshore reefs at depths between 1 m (3 feet) and 18 m (60 feet). Bell Sponges are a tropical Western Atlantic species that are found in all Mexican waters of the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean.

Diet:  Bell Sponges are filter feeders that pump water through their body wall and filter out plankton and suspended organic matter.  The water comes in through the pores and is expelled through the osculi. In doing so, they filter the water around them and recycle organic matter to higher trophic levels. One of their food sources is the algae Unipunctata Brown Algae, Striatella unipunctata.

Predators: Bell Sponges contain high concentrations of linear furanosesterterpene tetronic acids (FTAs). These compounds seem to act as chemical defenses against predators.  Bell Sponges are occasionally preyed upon by fish.

Reproduction: Stovepipe Sponges are simultaneous hermaphrodites (having both male and female reproductive organs). Reproduction is sexual, through broadcast spawning.  The eggs are then fertilized internally. The embryos develop in brood chambers until they reach a certain size, then disperse as planktonic parenchymella larvae. These larvae are free swimming, until they settle down on hard substrate where they  grow into  young sponges.

Ecosystem Interactions: In addition to filtering the water in a localized area, and moving organic matter to higher trophic levels, Bell Sponges have mutualistic relationships with multiple species, such as amphipod crustaceans and polychaeta worms, whereby the other animals receive a place to live, and the sponge feeds on their waste matter. Bell Sponges also host pathogens, making them susceptible to disease outbreaks and mass mortality events.

Human Interactions: Bell Sponges have no direct impact on human activities. From a conservation perspective they have not been formally evaluated however they are fairly common with a relatively wide distribution and should be consider to be of Least Concern.

Synonyms:  Hircinia (Sarcotragus) campana, Hircinia campana, Hircinia campana var. fixa, Hircinia campana var. typica, Polytherses campana, Polytherses campana var. dimidiata, Polytherses campana var. fixa, Spongia campana, and Stematumenia scyphus.