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Agelas dilatata Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864
Agelas dilatata is a marine sponge that occurs in Caribbean coralline algae reefs.It is quite possible for the sponge to become overgrown with algae.
The sponge is flabellate to fan- and cup-shaped, < 3 cm thick and sometimes stalked. Brown in color. Its surface is smooth with abundant and evenly arranged round oscula ( 4- 10 mm) on the top and underside.The shape of the sponge is that of a half cup.
The outer color of the sea sponge is orange to light brown in areas exposed to light; in shaded areas the color becomes brownish. Structure: The surface is smooth and even under water and becomes rough when the sponge is taken out of the water.The consistency is firm but compressible.A unique alkaloid isolated from a specimen from Yucatán is bioactive against the multi-resistant pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Similar species: Agelas dispar, a fan-shaped brown species that is thicker and usually has keyhole-shaped oscula.
Habitats: Agelas dilatata is found on vertical or overhanging reef walls, also in caves and other shaded environments.
Etymology: The species name "dilatata" comes from the Latin "dilatata" and means to "expand, to widen".
Agelas dilatata is a marine sponge that occurs in Caribbean coralline algae reefs.It is quite possible for the sponge to become overgrown with algae.
The sponge is flabellate to fan- and cup-shaped, < 3 cm thick and sometimes stalked. Brown in color. Its surface is smooth with abundant and evenly arranged round oscula ( 4- 10 mm) on the top and underside.The shape of the sponge is that of a half cup.
The outer color of the sea sponge is orange to light brown in areas exposed to light; in shaded areas the color becomes brownish. Structure: The surface is smooth and even under water and becomes rough when the sponge is taken out of the water.The consistency is firm but compressible.A unique alkaloid isolated from a specimen from Yucatán is bioactive against the multi-resistant pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Similar species: Agelas dispar, a fan-shaped brown species that is thicker and usually has keyhole-shaped oscula.
Habitats: Agelas dilatata is found on vertical or overhanging reef walls, also in caves and other shaded environments.
Etymology: The species name "dilatata" comes from the Latin "dilatata" and means to "expand, to widen".
