Spongia officinalis, better known as a variety of bath sponge, is a commercially used sea sponge.[2] Individuals grow in large lobes with small openings and are formed by a mesh of primary and secondary fibers.[3][2] It is light grey to black in color.[3] It is found throughout the Mediterranean Sea up to 100 meters deep on rocky or sandy surfaces.[2][3][4][5][6][7]
Humans use and interact with S. officinalis in a variety of ways. Harvested sponges have been used throughout history for many purposes, including washing and painting.[2]Over-harvesting and sponge disease have led to a decrease in population.[2][3][11]Sponge fishing practices have slowly changed over time as new technology has developed and sponge farming is now in use to decrease stress on wild S. officinalis populations.[3][11] Sponge farming is also recommended as a solution to reducing marine organic pollution, especially from fish farms.[3][2][12][13]
^Linnaeus, C. 1759: Systema naturæ per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus II. Editio decima, reformata. - pp. [1-4], 825-1384. Holmiæ. (L. Salvii).
^Cook, S.D.C., & Bergquist, P.R. 2002: Family Spongiidae Gray, 1867. Pp. 1051-1060. In Hooper, J. N. A. & Van Soest, R. W. M. (ed.) Systema Porifera. A guide to the classification of sponges. 1 (Kluwer Academic/ Plenum Publishers: New York, Boston, Dordrecht, London, Moscow).
^Rützler, K., R. W. M. van Soest. & C. Piantoni. 2009: Sponges (Porifera) of the Gulf of Mexico, Pp. 285–313 in Felder, D.L. and D.K. Camp (eds.), Gulf of Mexico–Origins, Waters, and Biota. Biodiversity. Texas A&M Press, College Station, Texas.
^"Esponjas (esponjas de baño)". Diccionario Monográfico del Reino Animal (in Spanish) (1a ed.). Barcelona: Bibliograf. 1980. p. 111. ISBN84-71533-85-5.