Photo 61334918, (c) Tom Turner, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Tom Turner

Attribution © Tom Turner
some rights reserved
Uploaded by tomleeturner tomleeturner
Source iNaturalist
Associated observations

Photos / Sounds

What

Crumb-of-bread Sponge (Hymeniacidon perlevis)

Observer

tomleeturner

Date

July 31, 2019 02:37 PM PDT

Description

This sponge was identified with the help of DNA sequencing, but does have a characteristic morphology. In open coast areas with moderate sedimentation, this species displays soft, irregularly shaped yellow bags that protrude from the substrate. If the sediment is brushed away, there is more sponge below. With practice, I seem to have become good at IDing it visually, but there are similar species, and there are other environments (like bays) where this species looks different.

Sizes