Pitted Tube Sponge
Creole Wrasses, Blue Tangs, and Brown Chromis circle the Pitted Tube Sponge, at the bottom front of which sits a small Circular Column Sponge.
| Name: | Pitted Tube Sponge |
| Scientific Name: | Verongula rigida |
| Family: | Irregular Sponges |
| Taxonomic: | Aplysinidae |
| ID Group: | Sponges, Bryozoans, Tunicates |
| Size: | up to 14 in. |
| Depth Range: | On the reef (10 – 60 ft.) |
| Sightings: | Seen often |
This Sponge has short tubes in shades ranging from red-brown to bright yellow. Its surface features distinctive ridges and pits that form a honeycomb-like pattern. The openings at the top of the tubes are often lighter in color than the rest of the sponge.
The Pitted Tube Sponge often forms cluster‑like masses with multiple tubes or lobes arising from a common base. Like other Sponges, it also produces special chemicals that make it distasteful or toxic to predators.