Sponges: Porifera - No Common Name (soleneiscus Radovani): Species Accounts

Physical characteristics: Sponges of the species Soleneiscus radovani (abbreviated as S. radovani) are bushy looking and bright yellow. They have single, delicate tubes branching from a large tube in the center of the sponge. The outer tubes are about one-sixteenth of an inch (2 millimeters) in diameter. The entire sponge is less than 4 inches (10 centimeters) in diameter. S. radovani sponges are soft and delicate and easily torn.

Geographic range: S. radovani sponges live on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia.

Soleneiscus radovani sponges are filter feeders that eat whatever is in the water that flows through them. (Illustration by Jonathan Higgins. Reproduced by permission.)

Habitat: S. radovani sponges live in small patches of coral under overhangs.

Diet: S. radovani sponges are filter feeders that eat whatever is in the water that flows through them.

Behavior and reproduction: S. radovani sponges give birth to live young. Other than that, scientists do not know how these sponges behave or reproduce.

Soleneiscus radovani and people: S. radovani sponges have no known importance to people.

Conservation status: S. radovani sponges are not threatened or endangered. ∎