Euplectella aspergillum glass sponge, 19th-century illustration. Also known as Venus' flower basket, these deep-sea animals have soft tissues in a tube made of silica. This is the original specimen (the holotype) of Euplectella aspergillum, described by Richard Owen in 1841. The specimen was obtained by conchologist Hugh Cuming during his voyage to the Philippine Islands between 1836 and 1840. Illustration from 'Transactions of the Zoological Society', Vol 3, Part 2, 1841. For the original specimen from the collections of the Natural History Museum, see C024/8304.