Lake sponge
Spongilla lacustris (Linnaeus, 1759)
Status not recordedsponges
Lake sponge (Spongilla lacustris) is a sponge in the family Spongillidae, class Demospongiae, phylum Porifera. It also goes by the English names Pond sponge, Freshwater sponge and Common freshwater sponge.
Quick facts about the lake sponge
The species name carries the authority (Linnaeus, 1759), and the Catalogue of Life lists it as living, not extinct.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- freshwater, riverinesrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Reproduction
- Live birthsrc for Reproduction
- Conservation status
- Not recorded
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the lake sponge
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
_Figure_2.png){kind=link}
Where does the lake sponge live?
Not recorded
What is the lake sponge?
Spongilla lacustris is a species of freshwater sponge from the family Spongillidae that inhabits rivers and lakes, often growing on logs or rocks. Lacustris is a Latin word meaning "related to or associated with lakes".
Spongilla lacustris is a demosponge with a broad distribution ranging from North America to Eurasia. It is the most common freshwater sponge in Central Europe, is the most widespread sponge in Northern Britain, and is one of the most common species of sponges in lakes and canals. It has the ability to reproduce both sexually and asexually. They become dormant during winter. The growth form ranges from encrusting, to digitate, to branched, depending upon the quality of the habitat.
From the Wikipedia article “Spongilla lacustris” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Spongilla_lacustris&oldid=1374403708), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the lake sponge endangered?
No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.
How is the lake sponge classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumPorifera
- classDemospongiae
- orderSpongillida
- familySpongillidae
- genusSpongilla
- SpeciesSpongilla lacustris (Linnaeus, 1759)
Synonyms Ephydatia lacustris, Euspongilla lacustris, Spongia canalium, Spongia lacustris, Spongilla abortiva, Spongilla crustacea, Spongilla dawsoni, Spongilla erinaceus, Spongilla fenestrata, Spongilla flexispina, Spongilla jordanensis, Spongilla jordanensis var. druliaeformis, Spongilla lacustrioides, Spongilla lacustris var. abortiva, Spongilla lacustris var. dawsoni, Spongilla lacustris var. dawsoni, Spongilla lacustris var. ineptorum, Spongilla lacustris var. jordanensis, Spongilla lacustris var. leighensis, Spongilla lacustris var. macrotheca, Spongilla lacustroides, Spongilla lacustroides var. corticea, Spongilla lieberkuehni, Spongilla microgemmata, Spongilla mirabilis, Spongilla montana, Spongilla multiformis, Spongilla paupercula, Spongilla ramosa, Spongilla ramosa f. digitata, Spongilla ramosa f. gracilis, Spongilla rhenana, Trochospongilla erinaceus
Other names and names in other languages (19)
- Common freshwater spongeEnglish
- Freshwater spongeEnglish
- Pond spongeEnglish
- houba rybničníCzech
- StinkschwammGerman
- GeweihschwammGerman
- TeichschwammGerman
- järvisieniFinnish
- éponge lacustreFrench
- Eponge d'eau douceFrench
- Éponge d'eau douce communeFrench
- ヌマカイメンJapanese
- Ežerinė durlėLithuanian
- vanlig ferskvannsvampNorwegian Bokmål
- Vertakte zoetwatersponsDutch
- vanleg ferskvatnsvampNorwegian Nynorsk
- Nadecznik stawowyPolish
- Бадяга озёрнаяRussian
- hubka jazernáSlovak
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISTAXREFWikidataWoRMS
Relatives of the lake sponge
Other species in the same genus Spongilla.
CompareLake sponge vs Spongilla albaLake sponge vs Spongilla arcticaLake sponge vs Spongilla cenotaLake sponge vs Spongilla chaohuensis
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What is the scientific name of the lake sponge?
The scientific name of the lake sponge is Spongilla lacustris, in the genus Spongilla.
Who named Spongilla lacustris and when?
The authority for Spongilla lacustris is written as (Linnaeus, 1759).
What other names does the lake sponge have?
The lake sponge is also called Pond sponge, Freshwater sponge and Common freshwater sponge.
What family does the lake sponge belong to?
The lake sponge belongs to the family Spongillidae, in the order Spongillida.
Is the lake sponge extinct?
No, the Catalogue of Life lists the lake sponge as living, not extinct.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-13. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Lake sponge (Spongilla lacustris). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/lake-sponge
“Lake sponge (Spongilla lacustris).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/lake-sponge.
@misc{lake_sponge_2026,
title = {Lake sponge (Spongilla lacustris)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/lake-sponge},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-13}
}