This table will provide a quick run-down of all 192 species of sponge that have been found in rockpools across the UK, and show you which are the most common. For this table we have used records from the National Biodiversity Network (NBN) and iNaturalist.

The sponges are a group called Porifera in taxonomy, and they are some of the coastline’s most ancient inhabitants. There are fossil records of sponges going back 608 million years to the earliest period of Earth’s history, the Precambrian.They were the first multicelluar (lots of cells joined together in a single organism) animals to evolve, and are one of the earliest branches in the animal evolutionary tree.

They are simple, filter-feeding animals, lacking true tissues and organs. Instead, they have specialised cells to perform different functions. They do however, possess many genes also found in more complex animals for cell adhesion, signalling and development. So, while they aren’t direct relatives or you or me, the presence of a genetic toolkit for building complex bodies within them, highlights their high evolutionary significance.

The last common ancestor of all other animals and sponges is not truly known, but is expected to be possess a simple body plan with some of the basic genetic machinery found in sponges and more complex animals.

While you can get freshwater river and lake sponges, these are only the coastal marine species.

All photos are clickable to view photo ownership.

Check below the table for more information on our data sources

Photo Common Name Latin Name Number of Observations
Bread-crumb Sponge Halichondria panicea 5864
crumb-of-bread sponge Hymeniacidon perlevis 3628
Sulphur Boring Sponge Cliona celata 2295
Pale Orange Crater Sponge Hemimycale columella 1949
Shredded carrot sponge Amphilectus fucorum 1596
Elephant’s Hide Sponge Pachymatisma johnstonia 1590
Goosebump Sponge Dysidea fragilis 1556
Small Calcareous Cup Sycon ciliatum 1519
purse sponge Grantia compressa 1415
Yellow Gelatine Sponge Halisarca dujardinii 897
NA Raspailia ramosa 632
NA Myxilla incrustans 605
Mermaid’s Glove Haliclona oculata 512
NA Polymastia boletiformis 495
Yellow Staghorn Sponge Axinella dissimilis 492
fig sponge Suberites ficus 416
NA Ophlitaspongia papilla 394
NA Stelligera stuposa 394
NA Suberites carnosus 377
White Lace Calcareous Sponge Clathrina coriacea 358
Orange Puffball Sponge Tethya citrina 344
NA Halichondria bowerbanki 340
NA Haliclona viscosa 328
Calcareous Tube Sponge Leucosolenia complicata 325
North Atlantic Cup Sponge Axinella infundibuliformis 284
Golf Ball Sponge Tethya aurantium 267
NA Leuconia nivea 260
Clustered Leucosolenia Leucosolenia botryoides 254
No Photo Available NA Clathria atrasanguinea 249
No Photo Available NA Polymastia mamillaris 217
NA Raspailia hispida 210
NA Polymastia penicillus 176
No Photo Available NA Hymeniacidon fallax 176
Crumpled Duster Sponge Axinella damicornis 168
NA Terpios gelatinosus 167
No Photo Available NA Stelligera rigida 165
NA Dercitus bucklandi 161
Flesh Sponge Oscarella lobularis 145
No Photo Available NA Phorbas fictitius 142
Sulphur Sponge Aplysilla sulfurea 141
Encrusting rose sponge Aplysilla rosea 123
Brush Sponge Ciocalypta penicillus 117
No Photo Available NA Homaxinella subdola 109
NA Hymedesmia paupertas 102
NA Haliclona urceolus 101
No Photo Available NA Leucandra ananas 98
No Photo Available NA Myxilla rosacea 96
No Photo Available NA Haliclona simulans 92
NA Iophon hyndmani 87
NA Haliclona cinerea 86
No Photo Available NA Phorbas plumosus 76
NA Mycale macilenta 69
NA Hymedesmia jecusculum 68
NA Clathrina lacunosa 65
NA Iophon nigricans 62
NA Myxilla fimbriata 58
NA Lissodendoryx jenjonesae 48
No Photo Available NA Ulosa stuposa 47
NA Clathria spinarcus 46
No Photo Available NA Thymosia guernei 46
NA Hymedesmia rathlinia 45
No Photo Available NA Plocamionida ambigua 44
No Photo Available NA Antho coriacea 41
No Photo Available NA Clathrina primordialis 41
No Photo Available NA Antho involvens 40
No Photo Available NA Haliclona fistulosa 37
No Photo Available NA Mycale subclavata 37
No Photo Available NA Protosuberites epiphytum 34
No Photo Available NA Suberites domuncula 34
NA Hymeraphia stellifera 33
No Photo Available NA Stryphnus ponderosus 32
NA Axinella parva 30
No Photo Available NA Myxilla ancorata 30
No Photo Available NA Pseudosuberites sulphureus 30
No Photo Available NA Haliclona rosea 29
NA Stelletta grubii 27
No Photo Available NA Tethyspira spinosa 27
NA Spongionella pulchella 26
No Photo Available NA Clathria armata 26
No Photo Available NA Hymedesmia coriacea 26
NA Haliclona indistincta 25
NA Hymeraphia breeni 24
NA Hymeniacidon simplicima 23
No Photo Available NA Halicnemia patera 23
NA Hymedesmia pansa 22
NA Hymerhabdia typica 21
No Photo Available NA Crella rosea 21
No Photo Available NA Eurypon major 21
No Photo Available NA Mycale rotalis 21
No Photo Available NA Phorbas dives 21
No Photo Available NA Biemna variantia 19
NA Spongosorites calcicola 18
No Photo Available NA Antho inconstans 17
No Photo Available NA Paratimea constellata 17
No Photo Available NA Chalinula limbata 16
NA Clathrina clathrus 15
No Photo Available NA Amphilectus lobatus 15
No Photo Available NA Hexadella racovitzai 15
No Photo Available NA Plocamiancora arndti 15
No Photo Available NA Suberites massa 15
NA Chelonaplysilla noevus 14
No Photo Available NA Leucosolenia variabilis 14
NA Phakellia ventilabrum 13
NA Crella plana 12
No Photo Available NA Antho brattegardi 12
No Photo Available NA Oscarella rubra 12
No Photo Available NA Mycale minima 11
No Photo Available NA Spanioplon armaturum 10
No Photo Available NA Tethya hibernica 10
No Photo Available NA Clathria strepsitoxa 9
No Photo Available NA Haliclona fibulata 9
No Photo Available NA Leucandra gossei 9
No Photo Available NA Leuconia johnstonii 9
No Photo Available NA Mycale contarenii 9
No Photo Available NA Spongilla lacustris 9
No Photo Available NA Sycon elegans 9
NA Raspaciona aculeata 8
No Photo Available NA Antho granditoxa 8
No Photo Available NA Hymedesmia primitiva 8
No Photo Available NA Hymeniacidon kitchingi 8
No Photo Available NA Aphroceras ensata 7
No Photo Available NA Axinella polypoides 7
No Photo Available NA Stelletta lactea 7
NA Axinella pyramidata 6
NA Haliclona angulata 6
NA Sphaerotylus renoufi 6
NA Suberites pagurorum 6
No Photo Available NA Adreus fascicularis 6
No Photo Available NA Dysidea pallescens 6
No Photo Available NA Ephydatia fluviatilis 6
No Photo Available NA Mycale lingua 6
No Photo Available NA Polymastia agglutinans 6
No Photo Available NA Tethya norvegica 6
NA Phorbas punctatus 5
No Photo Available NA Axinella verrucosa 5
No Photo Available NA Desmacella annexa 5
No Photo Available NA Leucandra caminus 5
No Photo Available NA Ophlitaspongia kildensis 5
No Photo Available NA Plakina monolopha 5
No Photo Available NA Spinularia spinularia 5
NA Oscarella nicolae 4
NA Paratimea loennbergi 4
No Photo Available NA Ascandra contorta 3
No Photo Available NA Clathria laevis 3
No Photo Available NA Heteropia ramosa 3
No Photo Available NA Hymedesmia cohesibacilla 3
No Photo Available NA Hymedesmia hibernica 3
No Photo Available NA Leucandra fistulosa 3
No Photo Available NA Leucandra pumila 3
No Photo Available NA Raspailia ventilabrum 3
NA Paratimea aurantiaca 3
NA Hymedesmia stellifera 2
No Photo Available NA Chalinula loosanoffi 2
No Photo Available NA Clathria barleei 2
No Photo Available NA Eurypon viride 2
No Photo Available NA Halisarca metschnikovi 2
No Photo Available NA Hymedesmia cratera 2
No Photo Available NA Hymedesmia peachi 2
No Photo Available NA Quasillina brevis 2
NA Hexadella topsenti 2
No Photo Available NA Amphoriscus chrysalis 1
No Photo Available NA Antho dichotoma 1
No Photo Available NA Axinella arctica 1
No Photo Available NA Bubaris vermiculata 1
No Photo Available NA Clathria coralloides 1
No Photo Available NA Clathria elliptichela 1
No Photo Available NA Desmacidon fruticosum 1
No Photo Available NA Ephydatia mülleri 1
No Photo Available NA Eurypon clavatum 1
No Photo Available NA Eurypon clavigerum 1
No Photo Available NA Eurypon coronula 1
No Photo Available NA Eurypon lacazei 1
No Photo Available NA Eurypon simplex 1
No Photo Available NA Forcepia forcipis 1
No Photo Available NA Haliclona rava 1
No Photo Available NA Hymedesmia crami 1
No Photo Available NA Hymedesmia digitata 1
No Photo Available NA Hymedesmia perforata 1
No Photo Available NA Hymedesmia umbelliformis 1
No Photo Available NA Hymeraphia elongata 1
No Photo Available NA Leucandra aspera 1
No Photo Available NA Mycale micracanthoxea 1
No Photo Available NA Pione vastifica 1
No Photo Available NA Plocamionida tylotata 1
No Photo Available NA Polymastia spinula 1
No Photo Available NA Protosuberites incrustans 1
No Photo Available NA Timea stellata 1
No Photo Available NA Vulcanella annulata 1
NA Haliclona xena 1
NA Lycopodina hypogea 1
NA Sycon raphanus 1
NA Ulosa digitata 1

Why NBN and iNaturalist data for the sponges? iNaturalist has a lot fewer sponge observations and species recorded than the NBN in the UK currently. This is because iNaturalist is a considerably newer recording format than the NBN, and as it is verified by members of the public to reach ‘research level’. Sponges can be hard to identify to species level and are not always the biggest focus of casual rockpooling.

NBN data is often gained from more rigid surveys done by organisations like the Wildlife Trust, and these often lend themselves better to recording the often overlooked species like sponges. Additionally, the NBN has a team of experts available to help verify species, which can be very helpful for tricky species like sponges! This means more of their sponge observations have been verified to a species level to make this table.

This does however lead to a lag in records sometimes, so we’ve pulled out any species level iNaturalist observations that haven’t made it to the NBN yet to include on the table as well.