Aplysina Tube Sponge

Aplysina sp.

Habitat & Distribution : Carribean and Mediterranean Sea

Diet: Microscopic organic materials

Size:  Up to 1,5 m

Lifespan: +100 years

Description

The Aplysina tube sponge is characterized by its tubular or branching body. It belongs to the order Verongiida. Unlike other Demospongia sponges, its skeleton is fully made of spongin, giving it a softer body, befitting its name Aplysina, which means "without a shield" in Greek. The exterior may be smooth, rideged, or bumpy. Tubular forms can reach 1,5 m in height and 7,6 cm in diameter

Behavior

Unlike corals, sponges lack zooxanthellae for photosynthesis and obtain their food by filtering particles from the water through pores on the sides of their bodies (ostia). The digested remains are excreted through an opening on the upper side of their bodies (osculum).

Reproduction

Aplysinid sponges are simultaneous hermaphrodites (having both female and male reproductive organs in one body) and can reproduce asexually and sexually. Asexually, they reproduce by budding. Sexually, they reproduce through spermcast spawning, in which sperm cells are released into the water while egg cells are retained in the body. Fertilization occurs internally, and embryos develop in brood chambers until reaching a certain size, before dispersing as planktonic larvae. The free-swimming larvae will eventually settle on a hard substrate, where it will grow into a young sponge.

Predator(s)

Nudibranch, sea snails, crabs, fish, lobsters, sea stars, sea turtles and sea urchins.

Conservation Status: Not Evaluated / NE (IUCN Red List)