Orange Sprawling Sponge

Appearance

20-30cm. Often looks like sprawling tree roots, branching and spreading horizontally along the surface. Stems may be slender, long, angular and sparsely branched, or short and regularly branched with short upright portions. Or series of flattened upright lobes. Also combinations of these different shapes in the same sponge. Texture smooth with a semi-translucent surface skin that collapses when out of water to form folds and ridges.

At intervals along the top portion of the sponge there are lumps or short fat cones with small holes (0.5cm) at the tips. The holes have membranous lips and water channels radiate from these holes. The holes are more obvious when the sponge is submerged. Out of water, the hole are closed as the lips collapse, and the area around it puckers into rdiges. Colour usually bright orange, also paler orange.

Distribution

Indo-Pacific. This is a very common shallow-water species throughout Micronesia (Palau, Chuuk, Kosrae, Guam) and the Western Pacific in particular (northern Australia and Torrest Straits, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands).

Habitat

Commonly seen growing in sheltered shores on coral rubble in or near seagrass areas and in man-made lagoons. Attched to dead coral (5-10 m) at areas with sandy substrate and patches of coral.

Uses

Extracts of this sponge show antibacterial and anti-mosquito larvae activity.