Porifera
Chondrosia collectrix
1. In situ (Chris Freeman)
2. In situ (Rob Ruzicka)
3. In situ (Rob Ruzicka)
4. In situ - Sponge is surrounding Phyllangia americana (Greg McFall)
5. Out of water (Chris Freeman)
6. Out of water (Chris Freeman)
Size
Colony height: 2.5cm (1") Colony width: reaching 5-10cm (2-4")
Recognition Characters
Consistency very firm and rubbery with a smooth, glabrous surface. Live specimens show large conspicuous oscules with slightly elevated rims. The atria collapses completely in preserved specimens. Ectosome is thin while the choanosome is firmly gelatinous, often packed with sand grains. Choanosome is cavernous, riddled with meandering canals or cavities often inhabited by snapping shrimp. Members of the Chondrosia genus are aspiculate.
Color
White on the inside and occasionally on the outside. Usually has an external dark purplish brown, exterior.
Habitat & Depth
Widely distributed throughout many habitats. Inhabit ledges, rocky outcroppings, crevices, and coral reefs, also mangroves and seagrass beds.
Distribution at GRNMS
Common. Found along ledges, hanging from ledges, and in crevices.
Geographic Range
Georgia south to the Florida Keys and Caribbean. Gulf of Mexico
Behavior & Notes
Sponge will contract when touched.
Synonyms
Wiedenmayer 1977