Demospongiae: Fan-shaped sponges

Identification

Habitat

Geographical Distribution:
- Axinellidae (family) observed at Mohn’s Treasure (Ramirez-Llodra et al., 2020)
- Phakellia sp. indet. observed at Ægir Ridge (1230-2000m) (Brix et al., 2022)
- Axinellida gen. indet. at Fåvne (Gjærløw, 2023)
Substrate: Hard

Ecology

Life History

Conservation Status

Red List: Species that are evaluated from Axinella and Phakellia in the Norwegian red list are all categorized as least concern (LC) (the Norwegian Red List 2021).

Comments

General:
- Erect sponges (2D), vertically flattened – Sponges with this morphology are usually found in areas with laminar flow. Positioned perpendicular to the current with ostia (“in-openings”) facing upstream and oscula (“out-openings”) facing downstream (Schönberg, 2021).
- Souche et al. (2026) found the fan-shaped sponges in the DeepInsight area to be aligned with the direction of episodic peak currents, but not the long-term mean current direction.

References

Ramirez-Llodra, Eva and Hilario, Ana and Paulsen, Emil and Costa, Carolina Ventura and Bakken, Torkild and Johnsen, Geir and Rapp, Hans Tore (2020). Benthic Communities on the Mohn's Treasure Mound: Implications for Management of Seabed Mining in the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge. Frontiers in Marine Science. DOI Link
Brix, Saskia and Kaiser, Stefanie and Lörz, Anne-Nina and Saout, Morgane Le and Schumacher, Mia and Bonk, Frederic and Egilsdottir, Hronn and Olafsdottir, Steinunn Hilma and Tandberg, Anne Helene S. and Taylor, James and Tewes, Simon and Xavier, Joana R. and Linse, Katrin (2022). Habitat variability and faunal zonation at the Ægir Ridge, a canyon-like structure in the deep Norwegian Sea. PeerJ. DOI Link
Gjærløw, Sofie (2023). Characterisation of Megabenthic Community Structure at the Fåvne Hydrothermal Vent Field, with Implications for Environmental Management of Seabed Mining. Link
Schönberg, C. H. L. (2021). No taxonomy needed: Sponge functional morphologies inform about environmental conditions. Ecological Indicators. DOI
Souche, A. and Marnor, C. M. and Hartz, E. H. and Tengberg, A. and Schmid, D. W. (2026). Bottom currents at the Arctic Mid Oceanic Ridge: insights from deployed sensors, biological indicators, and global models. EGUsphere [preprint]. DOI Link