Haliclona caerulea (Hechtel, 1965)
Blue Caribbean sponge
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Family:  Chalinidae ()
Max. size: 
Environment:  reef-associated; brackish; marine; depth range 1 - 6 m
Distribution:  Pacific Ocean and Western Central Atlantic.
Diagnosis:  Thickly encrusting or massive with irregular, solid form. Raised thick-walled volcano-shaped oscules reaching several centimeters in height. Exterior is pale blue-green, while interior is dirty yellow in color. Soft and easily torn, even, slightly smooth surface similar to a fine sandpaper. Megascleres are bent oxeas, 170 to 230 micrometers and microscleres are sharply curved C-shaped sigmas about 25 micrometers.
Biology:  Author and year from Ref. 3248. Mainly restricted to shallow-water fouling communities, dredged channels and artificial lagoons and also on the roots of the non-indigenous red mangrove, Rhizophora mangle (Ref. 3248).
IUCN Red List Status: Not Evaluated (N.E.) Ref. 123251)
Threat to humans: 
Country info:   
 

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