Demospongiae | 
Haplosclerida | 
Niphatidae
			
			
			
				Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range				
				
					Ecology				
				
			
			
				Reef-associated; brackish; depth range 0 - 18 m (Ref. 108813).  Tropical			
			
			
				
			
			
			
				Western Central Atlantic.
			
			
			
			
			
				Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
			
			
				Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm			
			
			
							
				
				
					
						Grows in either in vase-, tube- or cup-shape, broadening upward from the base up to 50 cm in height.  Fan-shape rare; may be globular or tubular in small specimens.  Surface smooth or with conules or soft spines up to 6 mm in height ; coarsely porous.  Color varies from pale purplish pink to light bluish to grayish green or gray.  Compressible.  Small round oscules present inside the vase or cup.  A fringe of soft spines usually connected by a transparent membrane is present at the apical opening (Ref. 85482).					
				
				
						
			
			
			
			
				
					On coral reefs and hard bottoms (Ref. 85482), and in mangroves (Ref. 86836).  Commensal with amphipods (Ref. 86735).  In Belize, it was found in a submarine cave near Columbus Cay at a depth of 10 m (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.				
			
			
			
			
			
				Engel, S. and J.R. Pawlik 2005 Interactions among Florida sponges. I. Reef habitats. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 303:133-144. (Ref. 837)
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
					
						IUCN Red List Status    
						 (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-1)
					
					
					
				
			
			
			
			
				CITES status   (Ref. 108899)
			
			
				
					Not Evaluated				
			
			
			
			
			
			
				
					Not Evaluated				
			
			
			
			
			
				Threat to humans  
			
			
				
									
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
				Human uses  
			
			
							
			
			
				 | FishSource | 			
			
			
			
			
			
Tools
			
			
			
			
				
					More information				
				
					 Trophic EcologyFood items (preys)Diet compositionFood consumptionPredators   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): 25.5 - 28.2, mean 27.3 (based on 446 cells).			
 
			
			
			
			
			
						
						
						
			
									
						Price category  					
					
					Unknown.