Demospongiae |
Haplosclerida |
Niphatidae
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Sessile. Tropical; 22°N - 4°N, 116°E - 127°E
Central Pacific: Philippines. Introduced in Hawaiian Islands, Guam and Palmyra Atoll.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Thickly encrusting mat with anastomosing and meandering branches with some branches erect. Exterior color is blue-gray and interior is grayish beige. Spongy, fibrous, elastic and tough, surface is smooth to irregularly conulose with protruding tufts of fibers. Megascleres: curved oxeas 160 to 180 micrometers, microscleres: small sigmas 15 micrometers.
Mainly restricted to shallow-water fouling communities of the major harbors or associated disturbed habitats and also on patch reefs, encrusting the shaded underside of plate corals (Ref. 3248).
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.
DeFelice, R.C., L.G. Eldredge and J.T. Carlton 2001 Nonindigenous marine invertebrates. p. B-i-B-60. In Eldredge, G.L. and C.M. Smith. A Guidebook of Marine Species in Hawaii. Bishop Museum Technical Report 21. (Ref. 3248)
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
