Description: Synonym: Amphilectus lobatus (Montagu, 1814) which is a junior homonym of Spongia lobata Esper, 1794.

4-15mm round, egg-shaped, or flattened cushions growing on brown algae, hydroids or erect bryozoans. Larger specimens are cylindrical or rather irregular in shape as a result of growth along the branches of the substrate organism and coalescence of originally separate individuals.

Habitat: Usually in areas of strong water movement, typically growing on hydroids such as Sertularia argentea.

Distribution: Found all round the British Isles. The type locality is Northern Greenland.

Key Identification Features:

• Pale yellow, beige
• Very finely hispid
• Oscules in rows along a ridge, or somewhat scattered
• Ostia in the dermal membrane

Distribution Map from NBN: Amphilectus ovulum at National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

iNaturalist: Amphilectus ovulum at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

WoRMS: Amphilectus ovulum at World Register of Marine Species. Accepted name: Amphilectus ovulum (Schmidt, 1870). AphiaID: 1424119.

Classification: Biota; Animalia; Porifera; Demospongiae; Heteroscleromorpha; Poecilosclerida; Esperiopsidae; Amphilectus