Yellow Tube Sponge
Aplysina fistularis

f8 @ 1/60s, ASA 64, Exktachrome 64 slide film, Nikonos II w 15mm, Oceanic 2000 flash

"Yellow Tube Sponge," Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Aplysina fistularis, also known as the yellow tube sponge, is a species of sea sponge in the order Verongiida. Aplysina fistularis is a golden or orange-brown color with a conulose surface. The animal is abundant in the Caribbean, where it is commonly found in reefs of open water areas. Aplysina fistularis consists of one or more yellow tube-like structures that arise from a closed base and are sessile. The sponge has wide oscula and thin walls with ridged surfaces. Each tube is rarely over 30 centimetres (12 in) in clear water but can reach 50 centimetres (20 in) in turbid-zone reefs. Unlike the related species Aplysina insularis, A. fistularis does not develop rope-like projections around its tubes, although it may show some branching tendrils. A. fistularis does not have a silicate skeletal structure like most sponges, and was used as a bath sponge before the invention of synthetic sponges.

Fredericksted Pier, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

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