Row pore rope sponge
Aplysina cauliformis
(Carter, 1882)
Description:
Long, branching and rope-like, up to 60 cm. Generally hanging downward with the tip of the branches curling upward. Excurrent openings form long rows and are 1-4 mm in diameter (A. cauliformis-oscules). The oscules have thin, protruding lips, often of a lighter color. The surface is very finely conulose. The consistency is stiff and hardly compressible.
Color:
The color is highly variable and not distinctive, it includes red, purple and lavender.
Habitat:
Growing in lagoons and inhabiting deep sloping reefs.
Distribution:
Florida to Curacao.