Description: Bright red/orange thin crust with a hispid appearance, caused by the projection of long styles. Silt is often present over sponge surface. Oscules are present at the end of raised papillae, these are fairly evenly spaced over the surface but are less prominent and may not be easily visible when closed.

Habitat: Mostly found in deeper water, below 30 metres on vertical or overhanging moderatley exposed and tide swept circalittoral bedrock.

Distribution: This species was only relatively recently described in 2007 from Rathlin Island (Picton & Goodwin, 2007). So far, it is only reliably known from its type locality (Rathlin Island) and The Maidens (Larne).

Similar Species: Very similar to Hymeraphia stellifera however in H. stellifera the stellate proximal ends of the acanthostyles are neat and aster-like in form, whereas in H. breeni the spines are large, comparatively few in number and may straggle down the length of the shaft (Picton & Goodwin, 2007).

Key Identification Features:

• Distinctive acanthostyles with stellate spined points. The shafts are straight

  and their points are irregularly spined with a few large spines.

iNaturalist: Hymeraphia breeni at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

GBIF data for Hymeraphia breeni

WoRMS: Hymeraphia breeni at World Register of Marine Species. Accepted name: Hymeraphia breeni Picton & Goodwin, 2007. AphiaID: 255167.

Classification: Biota; Animalia; Porifera; Demospongiae; Heteroscleromorpha; Axinellida; Raspailiidae; Raspailiinae; Hymeraphia