About Tethya aurantium (Pallas, 1766)
Tethya aurantium, commonly called the golf ball sponge or orange puffball sponge, is a species of sea sponge in the family Tethyidae. It has a spherical shape with a warty surface, and typically reaches around 10 centimeters in diameter. Its oscula are located on the upper surface of the organism. Sharp, protruding spicules cover its surface, and these can cause skin irritation if the sponge is touched. This sponge can be found in the Mediterranean Sea and the Northeastern Atlantic Ocean, and along the southern African coast from southern Namibia around the southern tip of the continent to KwaZulu-Natal. It usually grows on shallow reefs in these regions. It is also found along the Pacific coast of North America, ranging from southeastern Alaska to central Baja California, where it occurs from the low intertidal zone down to 440 meters (1,460 feet). This species was first described by Peter Simon Pallas in 1766, under the original scientific name Alcyonium aurantium.
