Participate!

Have you heard of marine sponges or opisthobranchs? Do you often see these animals when diving or snorkeling but don’t know what to look out for? One way to learn more from these organisms and collaborate in marine biology research through your observations is by participating in the Biteasponge project!

Send us your observations! You will receive a response from our scientific team when they have been registered and validated!

FORMS

Project objectives

CONSERVATION

Of the project species and their ecosystems due to the the new knowledge generated

COLLABORATION

With diving centers, entities related to the environment and marine research centers

RESEARCH

To be able to find patterns of aggregation or temporality in the species ecology or their associated risks

DISSEMINATION

From the information obtained, through scientific dissemination, in order to increase knowledge of these species and ecosystems

How to participate?

Pay close attention to upcoming dives in case you come across the golden sponge (Aplysina aerophoba) with its predator, the opisthobranch Tylodina perversa

Measure the height and surface of the sponge and the length and width of the opisthobranch. Register the depth, take a photo and look carefully if there are eggs or youths of Tylodina

Enter the biteasponge.com website and register the new observation with the form. You can enter as many details as you want in the comments section! The more the better!

Once the data has been validated you will receive an email and you will be able to see the new observation on the map.

Join the project community and come dive with us! You will be able to participate in an annual follow of different areas of interest.

Observation map

In progress!

We are building this interactive map so that you can see the validated observations that you or the rest of the community involved in the project have made.

The blue markers show the recorded dive points.

Be sure to send us the details on the form so that we can update this map!

Target species

The opisthobranch Tylodina perversa is the main predator of the sponge Aplysina aerophoba. It is known to be able to feed on the sponge, despite the defense products that Aplysina has and, at the same time, absorb its secondary products and store them selectively in its body.

One of the products that Tylodina absorbs, uranidine , makes the opisthobranch have the same color as the sponge and be so hard to find!

There is very little information on the interaction of these two species in the field, and it is therefore difficult to predict the evolution of populations. The main objective of the project is to be able to discover the prey-predator relationship and its ecology through citizen participation.