Demospongiae | 
Agelasida | 
Astroscleridae
			
			
			
				Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range				
				
					Ecology				
				
			
			
				Sessile; depth range 13 - 150 m (Ref. 108813).  Tropical			
			
			
				
			
			
			
				Western Central Atlantic.
			
			
			
			
			
				Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
			
			
				Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm			
			
			
							
				
				
					
						Round masses. Color: cinnamon-tan, cream, orange. Morphology: encrusting, massive. Consistency: hard.					
				
				
						
			
			
			
			
				
					Found only in deep reef crevices (Ref. 81728).  In Belize, it was found in a submarine cave near Columbus Cay (Ref. 87209).				
			
			
			
			
			
				Life cycle and mating behavior				
					Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae				
			
			
				
					Members of the class Demospongiae are hermaphroditic.  Life cycle:  The zygote develops into parenchymella larva (free-swimming) before settling down on a substrate where it grows into a young sponge.				
			
			
			
			
			
				Zea, S., T.P. Henkel and J.R. Pawlik 2009 The Sponge Guide: a picture guide to the Caribbean sponges. Available online at http://www.spongeguide.org. Accessed on:2009-07-19. (Ref. 81728)
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
					
						IUCN Red List Status    
						 (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-1)
					
					
					
				
			
			
			
			
				CITES status   (Ref. 108899)
			
			
				
					Not Evaluated				
			
			
			
			
			
			
				
					Not Evaluated				
			
			
			
			
			
				Threat to humans  
			
			
				
					  Harmless				
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
				Human uses  
			
			
							
			
			
				 | FishSource | 			
			
			
			
			
			
Tools
			
			
			
			
				
					More information				
				
					 Trophic EcologyFood items (preys)
Diet composition
Food consumption
Predators
  Population dynamicsGrowth
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Abundance
  Life cycleReproductionMaturityFecunditySpawningEggsEgg developmentLarvae   PhysiologyOxygen consumption
  Human RelatedStamps, coins, misc.
  
			 
			
			
			
				Internet sources
			
			
			
			
			
				Estimates based on models
			
			
			
									
						Preferred temperature  					
				 (Ref. 
115969): 21.4 - 27.5, mean 25.2 (based on 86 cells).