Demospongiae |
Tetractinellida |
Geodiidae
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Reef-associated; brackish; depth range 1 - 90 m (Ref. 108813). Tropical
Western Atlantic: USA and Caribbean.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Massive; irregular, globular, or lobate of at least 30 cm across. Firm and slighthly compressible. Smooth and non-porous, with ostia present. Sediments, algae and other encrusting sponges usually cover surfaces without ostia. External color: Whitish in dark habitats, dark brown when exposed to light. Cream internal.
Occurs in shallow inshore hard bottoms (Ref. 85482) and mangrove ponds (Ref. 86789). In Belize, it is 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.
Engel, S. and J.R. Pawlik 2005 Interactions among Florida sponges. II. Mangroves habitat. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 303:145-152. (Ref. 836)
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 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): 22.7 - 28, mean 26.1 (based on 354 cells).
Price category
Unknown.