Question

Chalina is commonly known as
A. Finger Sponge
B. Dead Man’s Finger sponge
C. Mermaid’s Glove sponge
D. All the above

Answer 1

Hint: It is a filter feeding organism that allows the water to filter in and out. It lives a sedentary life-style attached to the sea floor.

Complete answer:
Sponges are the members of phylum Porifera. They are multicellular and their bodies are full of pores and canals that allow water to circulate through them. They do not have digestive, nervous, and circulatory systems.

 Fig: Diagram of Chalina
- Chalina belongs to the Demospongiae class of phylum Porifera. Chalina is a soft bodied marine sponge that has a branched structure and perforations all over its body. This structure gives it a honeycomb-like appearance.
- The skeleton is made up of spongin fibres. Each branch is perforated by numerous oscula. It is yellow-brown or red-brown in colour. It can reproduce asexually or sexually depending on the environmental conditions.
- Chalina is commonly known as Finger sponge because it looks like the fingers in our hand. They are mostly found in shallow subtidal and intertidal zones.
- The scientific name of Dead Man’s Finger sponge is Syringellaamphispicula. They are erect sponge with a narrow base. They are cream to light brown in colour.
- The common name of Haliclona Oculata is Mermaid’s Glove sponge. It is a species of sea sponges with large branches.

Thus, the correct answer is option A, i.e., Finger Sponge.

Note: Chalina is a marine sponge called a finger sponge which can be found from the Rhodes Islands to Labrador. It is a strongly branched structure and has a small common stem.