Size
Colony width: reaching 25cm (10') Branch height: reaching 12cm (5")
Recognition Characters
The growth form is variable from thinly to massively encrusting, with tassel-like irregular branches which form flattened masses.Halichondria bowerbanki typically turns a characteristic yellow-orange when spawning because of the color of the larvae. There are no obvious large exhalent openings (oscules) present and the surface is smooth or uneven with a breadcrumb-like texture.
Color
Beige to dull brown in the summer and light grey/yellow in the winter.
Habitat & Depth
Tropical and temperate reefs. To 40m depth.
Distribution at GRNMS
Rare. Found adjacent to nearby ledges or rocky outcroppings. Found primarily on sandy bottoms surrounding hardbottom areas.
Geographic Range
Caribbean north through the Western Atlantic to Great Britain
Behavior & Notes
This sponge is commonly inhabited by small, colonial zooanthids.
Synonyms
Wells et al. 1960, Sterrer 1986