Family Clionaidae - Boring sponges
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Class |
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Demospongiae |
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Environment |
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Fresh : No |
Brackish : No |
Marine : Yes |
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Remark |
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Marine sponges that excavate burrows in calcareous material, such as mollusc shells and coral. Etching chemicals are released at the tips of specialized surface cells; these secretions dissolve only the edges of calcareous chips, which then fall to the seafloor, contributing up to 40% of the reef sediment in some places. Species in this family are distributed from shallow water to depths exceeding 2100 m. |
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