Spongia
Encyclopedia
Spongia is a genus
of marine animals, originally described by Linnaeus in 1759. Some species, including the
pictured Spongia officinalis
, are used as cleaning tools, but have mostly been replaced in that use by synthetic or plant material.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of marine animals, originally described by Linnaeus in 1759. Some species, including the
pictured Spongia officinalis
Spongia officinalis
Spongia officinalis, better known as bath sponge, is a commercially used sponge. It is found throughout the Mediterranean Sea.It is a hermaphroditic animal and can reproduce asexually by means of budding or through sexual reproduction. When alive, its color is dark grey; upon drying it becomes...
, are used as cleaning tools, but have mostly been replaced in that use by synthetic or plant material.