Loggerhead sponge
Spheciospongia vesparium
(Lamarck, 1814)
Description:
Although this species may appear in different habits, the most common form is squatty barrel-shaped, with a flattened top. The central depression has numerous excurrent openings. The surface is undulated, bumpy or broadly rugose, with characteristic fields of pores (S. vesparium-surface). The diameter of a pore is 1-2 mm. These pore fields are commonly somewhat elevated, covering wide, deep vestibules. The consistency is firm, tough and only slightly compressible.
Color:
The color is purplish or brownish black, often obscured by adhering sediment.
Habitat:
This species is found in a variety of habitats, including shallow patch reefs and lagoons. In lagoons the species forms a broader base, reaching deep into the sediments.
Distribution:
Common Florida, Bahamas and Caribbean.