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Phylogeny:
Kingdom- Animalia
Phylum- Porifera
Class- Demospongiae
Order- Hadromerida
Family- Tethyidae
Genus- Tectitethya
Species- T. crypta
Description:
The genus was renamed from Cryptotethya to Tectitethya by Wiedenmayer because “the cortical structure and the content and morphology of astrose microscleres vary within the genus Tethya so that crypta is best assigned to it as present” (Sara, Bavestrello pg 370). Typical size is 10x6x15 cm. Usually brown in color and normally found covered in sand and algae. The surface contains flattened and irregularly rounded tubercles. The spicules contained within form stout bundles ending in fan-like expansions ending in the tubercles and often branching. T. crypta has a leucon body design.
Habitat: T. crypta is mainly found in shallow water in the Caribbean sea, but species have been found off the coast of the west Indies and along the west coast of Florida. Because T. crypta has a very soft cortex they tend to inhabit areas of still water flow, and are able to live in areas of low oxygen because of their anaerobic metabolism.
Development:
The embryo will develop into a stereoblastula, which will then differentiate to form a flagellated parenchymella, and each cell will have only one flagellum. The larval stage is normally incapable of feeding. Before losing the ability to swim the larvae will attach itself to a substrate in order to start the process of metamorphosis. The larvae will swim for 24 hours or less before metamorphosing into an adult sponge. The flagellum of the larval stage is what will develop into the choanocytes of the adult sponge.
Reproduction:
The reproduction of sponges can be affected by many factors such as light, salinity, pressure, and temperature with temperature having the strongest effect. During the autumn season, when ocean water temperatures are lower is usually when the onset of spermatogenesis takes place. T. crypta are hermaphroditic and reproduce through the method of viviparous. The sperm is released into the water and the choanocytes of the female capture the sperm. The sperm is transported to the mesophyll where the eggs are fertilized.
Feeding:
T. crypta is a sessile filter feeding sponge that feeds mostly on algae and bacteria. The way a sponge feeds is by drawing water in through their ostia by beating flagellum located on choanocyte cells within the sponge. The microvilli on the choanocyte cells will trap food particles and then the cells turn into amebocytes which transports to food to the mesophyll of the sponge for digestion. There is only one direction of water flow through the sponge and the water leaves the sponge through the osculum.
Medical uses:
Many sponges produce three compounds, two that are pyrimidine based and the third that is purine based that can be used with cancer chemotherapy. It was discovered that the symbiotic bacteria, vibrio harveyi, found in T. crypta contains an additional compound that can be used for vasodilation, pain relievers, and control of tumor growth (spongosine). Currently there hasn’t been any pure strands of these compounds that can be made in lab making it difficult to synthesis for commercial use. Test have shown that the compound can be used to reduce pain in mammals with very little side effects and has reduced up to 60% of tumor growth.
References:
Sarà M. A rearrangement of the family Tethyidae (Porifera Hadromerida) with establishment of new genera and description of two new species. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 1994;110(4):355–371.
Bertin MJ, Schwartz SL, Lee J, Korobeynikov A, Dorrestein PC, Gerwick L, Gerwick WH. Spongosine Production by a Vibrio harveyi Strain Associated with the Sponge Tectitethya crypta. Journal of Natural Products. 2015;78(3):493–499.
Thomas TRA, Kavlekar DP, Lokabharathi PA. Marine Drugs from Sponge-Microbe Association—A Review. Marine Drugs. 2010;8(4):1417–1468.
Riesgo A, Maldonado M. Differences in reproductive timing among sponges sharing habitat and thermal regime. Invertebrate Biology. 2008;127(4):357–367.
Alcolado PM. Reading the code of coral reef sponge community composition and structure for environmental bio- monitoring: some experiences from Cuba. Porifera research: Biodiversity, innovation and sustainaBility. 2007
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