Print species info – Sponge Guide

Demospongiae > Agelasida > Agelasidae > Agelas tubulata

Observed Characteristics:

Color:

brown
orange
cinnamon-tan

Morphology:

tube
vase

Consistency:

tough

Locations:

Bahamas
Saint Eustatius
United States

Species Description and Notes

Notes: Tan/pinkish/orange, usually smooth tubes; if several, they usually arise directly from the substratum base of the sponge. Similar in color and shape to Agelas conifera (Schmidt, 1870), also pictured here, but the latter usually shows short tubes growing on one another all attached to a narrow base, conforming clubs or antlers. Wide, barrel-shaped specimens may have deep recesses in the body, which may make them difficult to distinguish from Agelas cerebrum Assman, van Soest & Köck, 2001, pictured here. In the latter, recesses are located rather uniformly throughout the body and there are scattered orifices in the areas between recesses. A. tubulata is rare in the northern Bahamas, where A. conifera and A. cerebrum are the more common similar forms. It is more common in southern Bahamas and South Florida (especially barrel-shaped specimens), where A. conifera is rare. Although A. tubulata and A. conifera could be considered geographical variants of the same species, the two forms co-exist in areas like Bahamas, Jamaica and Belize. Spicules are acanthostyles.

Author Reference: Lehnert & van Soest, 1996

Link: World Porifera Database