Sycon ciliatum

Erling Svensen Does any of you know this sponge? Very small - aprox. 0,5 cm wide.

Becky Hitchin No, but this is a great shot of Clavelina for David Kipling's squirts course, branchial sac and all!

Wendy Northway is it a purse sponge scypha ciliata?

Christian Skauge I have seen those, someone told me "glass sponge".

Erling Svensen Wendy Northway, it could of course be tiny Scypha sponges. We have a lot of bigger en slender ones on this location. Thanks.

Erling Svensen A very important information, Dawn - I did not think of that..... ;-). Thanks.

Claire Goodwin Sycon ciliatum (same as Wendy said - just another genus transfer). However, I'm sure there are several species currently under one name (Burton merged a lot of species and many more are unlikely to have been described). This could account for the variation in appearance we get.

Sheilah Openshaw i'm seeing a lot more of them this year than for a few years, also the squirts.

Nick Owen I've been seeing some very large (up to 4" long and and over an inch diameter) Sycons under marinas. At this size the ring of spicules is also very large and long. Wonder if the individual spicules are in scale.....something else to do.

Paula Young Hello all, Can anyone help me ID this (perhaps one for David Kipling or Becky Hitchin)? I initially thought they were squirts of some sort (possibly Ascidiella), but think it's more likely a sponge? I can't see a second siphon if they are squirts. I then thought it might be Sycon ciliatum, but it just doesn't really look like others I've seen. Any ideas? They were off Dover, about 8m down on silted chalk and about 1/2 inch long.

David Kipling Are you coming on the squirt course Paula?

Becky Hitchin Yes she is!

Paula Young I did wonder about Polymastia too, but didn't think we had it in this bit of Kent - Becky might remember...?

Jade Berman I would agree with Polymastia penicillus.

Becky Hitchin Yep, Polymastia is in Kent, lots of records from Seasearch dives

Paula Young Hurrah...Polymastia it is then! Thanks all you lovely Seasearch peoples!