Variable boring sponge
Aka coralliphaga
(Ruetzler, 1971)
Description:
A boring sponge which grows in a wide variety of patterns: they appear as an encrusting sponge; as vase-like tubes extending from coral heads; as finger-like branches extending from the coral; or as tiny tubes extending from dead coral areas.
Color:
Sulfur- to lemon-yellow, occasionally white.
Habitat:
Inhabit coral reefs and drop-off walls. Bore into corals by secreting minute amounts of acid. This sponge bores large, fist-sized holes in coral heads.
Distribution:
Occasional to rare Florida; common Bahamas and Caribbean.