BIOTIC Species Information for Halichondria panicea
|Click here to view the MarLIN Key Information Review for Halichondria panicea|
|Researched by||Dr Keith Hiscock||Data supplied by||MarLIN|
|Refereed by||Dr Rob van Soest|
|Reproductive type||See additional information
|Reproductive Season||April to June||Reproductive Location||As adult|
|Reproductive frequency||Annual episodic||Regeneration potential||Yes|
|Life span||3-5 years||Age at reproductive maturity||Insufficient information|
|Generation time||<1 year||Fecundity||Insufficient information|
|Egg/propagule size||Insufficient information||Fertilization type||Internal|
|Reproduction Preferences Additional Information||Witte et al. (1994) found that Halichondria panicea had a seasonally distinct, very short, reproductive period in the Kiel Bight, Western Baltic. Oogenesis started in late summer/early autumn and oocytes developed over winter. Spermatogenesis occurred when mature oocytes were formed and larvae were released in the spring through to June. However, Wapstra & van Soest (1987) reported that Halichondria panicea contained oocytes all year round in the Oosterschelde although embryos were only observed between May and September. They reported the species as being hermaphrodite although it was not stated whether or not the sponge was a permanent hermaphrodite or whether it exhibited protandrous or protogynous hermaphroditism. In the same area, Vethaak et al. (1982) found, comparably, that large oocytes and embryos were present from mid-May until mid-August coinciding with an increase in water temperature from 12 °C to ca 19 °C. Vethaak et al. (1982) also observed that, in the field, newly settled colonies were apparent within one year, i.e. the following May. Wapstra & van Soest (1987) noted that the reproductive cycle in Halichondria panicea may vary considerably between areas.
A life span of about 3 years was suggested in Fish & Fish (1996). Unlike Halichondria bowerbanki, Halichondria panicea survive the winter in a normal, active state in the Oosterschelde (Vethaak et al., 1982).
|Reproduction References||Fish & Fish, 1996, Witte et al., 1994, Birkett et al., 1998(b), Wapstra & van Soest, 1987, Vethaak et al., 1982,|