Aphrocallistes beatrix
Taxonomy
This page represents the following TreeOfLife-200M taxonomic path.[1]
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Porifera
- Class: Hexactinellida
- Order: Sceptrulophora
- Family: Aphrocallistidae
- Genus: Aphrocallistes
- Species: Aphrocallistes beatrix
Visual Description
Abbreviated description based on specimen/imagery from aggregated museum and biodiversity-media sources in TreeOfLife-200M.
- Growth form: In preserved material, individuals appear as upright sponge bodies (often with a firm, conical or tube-like external outline), consistent with hexactinellid sponge morphologies shown in specimen photography.
- Skeletal impression: The surface shows a conspicuous lattice/reticulate texture typical of glass sponges (Hexactinellida), where the spicule network gives the body a rigid, sculpted look.
- Preservation context: Images include both specimen photography and remotely captured observations; preserved specimens emphasize the external skeletal network and overall gross shape.
Ecology and Habitat Associations
Aphrocallistes beatrix can be a dominant sponge in deep-sea sponge aggregations. In a Cantabrian Sea study (Aviles Canyons System and El Cachucho Marine Protected Area), the authors used A. beatrix to define a specific sponge-field type (F1, Avil9 Canyon field). Within this field, A. beatrix had the highest sponge occurrence (reported as 77.78%).
The study also found that echinoderm assemblages associated with sponge-field types were distinct. For F1, a key echinoderm group (assemblage G4) was composed exclusively of stations from the A. beatrix sponge field; within G4, the most frequently occurring echinoderm included Ophiactis abyssicola (100% occurrence in that assemblage). Overall, depth was identified as a primary abiotic factor influencing echinoderm assemblage structure across the study area.
Distribution / Nomenclature (general)
GBIF lists Aphrocallistes beatrix Gray, 1858 as an accepted species name.
Gallery
References
- ↑ Dataset view for Animalia / Porifera / Hexactinellida / Sceptrulophora / Aphrocallistidae / Aphrocallistes / beatrix constructed from imageomics/TreeOfLife-200M records under this taxonomic path. Hugging Face Datasets. https://huggingface.co/datasets/imageomics/TreeOfLife-200M.