Aiolochroia crassa (Hyatt, 1875)
Branching tube sponge
No Picture Available

Family:  Aplysinidae ()
Max. size: 
Environment:  sessile; brackish; marine; depth range 3 - 52 m
Distribution:  Western Atlantic.
Diagnosis:  Massive to lobate. Surface has knob-shaped conules; 0.3 - 0.4 cm high; up to 1 cm apart. Dense like cheese. Oscules with membranes; 1 - 2 cm wide; on top of lobes (Ref. 415). External is usually bicolored but highly variable at purple, greenish, red-brown, orange or bright yellow. Internal color is bright lemon yellow. Exudate is dark; turns bluish after air exposure for about an hour.
Biology:  Maximum depth reported taken from Ref. 128739. Common in reefs (Ref. 85482) and sea grass (Ref. 415). Also found in mangroves (Ref. 86836). Hosts alpheid shrimps in its canals (Ref. 86626). Inhabits coral communities. Found in shallow coral reefs and mesophotic depths (Ref. 128739).
IUCN Red List Status: Not Evaluated (N.E.) Ref. 123251)
Threat to humans: 
Country info:   
 

Source and more info: www.sealifebase.org. For personal, classroom, and other internal use only. Not for publication.