Description: This sponge is usually white but can also be grey, pale rose, orange or sulphur yellow in colour. Young colonies are often thinly encrusting but more mature ones form a soft, compact network of anastomosing thin walled tubes.

Habitat: This sponge is usually found on clean rock surfaces in the shallow sublittoral and also under overhangs and boulders on the shore. It is often found associated with the ascidian Dendrodoa grossularia in surge gullies but also in sheltered caves.

Distribution: A common species that occurs on all coasts of the British Isles.

Similar Species: This species may be confused with Leucosolenia botryoides and other Leucosolenia species which are also comprised of thin walled tubes, however in C. coriacea there are no erect free branches.

Key Identification Features:

• Network of thin walled tubes.
• Encrusting habit or with wide base.

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

iNaturalist: Clathrina coriacea at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

WoRMS: Clathrina coriacea at World Register of Marine Species. Accepted name: Clathrina coriacea (Montagu, 1814). AphiaID: 132277.

Classification: Biota; Animalia; Porifera; Calcarea; Calcinea; Clathrinida; Clathrinidae; Clathrina