Scientists have discovered a rare predatory sponge in deep waters of the Mediterranean off Spain and Italy.

Experts are now anxious to protect the tiny terror, which measures no more than 1.5 cm across.

Asbestopluma hypogea feeds on small crustaceans which it spends more than 10 days digesting.

Previously, the sponge had only been identified at three sites 15m and 26m deep in the Mediterranean, in French and Croatian underwater caves.

Researchers have now found the species in five new Spanish and Italian locations at depths down to 700 metres. The discoveries, reported in the journal Zootaxa, were made by scientists from the marine conservation organisation Oceana. Ricardo Aguilar, director of research at Oceana Europe and one of the research authors, said: “The carnivorous sponge is important because it has developed feeding systems that are completely different from the rest of sponges known in the world.”