Stove-pipe Sponge
The stove-pipe sponge (Aplysina archeri) is a purple-gray tube sponge of Caribbean reefs that grows as long, slender tubes up to a couple of meters tall. It is known for the chemicals it makes.
The stove-pipe sponge (Aplysina archeri) is a purple-gray tube sponge of Caribbean reefs that grows as long, slender tubes up to a couple of meters tall. It is known for the chemicals it makes.
🧬 Field Guide Specimen: Open Stove-pipe Sponge in the CRV Science Field Guide to log the specimen, see its place among the Metazoa lineages in the Cladogram Explorer, and test your recall in the Red List conservation game.
A Chemical Factory
Sponges in the genus Aplysina produce brominated compounds that deter predators and fouling. The sponge converts them to more toxic forms when wounded. Several have been studied as leads for drugs.
Tubes on the Reef
Thick, ropelike tubes rise from the reef and filter large volumes of water. In nutrient-poor reefs, sponges help to recycle dissolved carbon. See Azure Vase Sponge.
Fragile
Divers and anchors can break tubes, and disease can affect populations. See Giant Barrel Sponge.
Stove-pipe Sponge at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Aplysina archeri |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Porifera |
| Class | Demospongiae |
| Order | Verongiida |
| Family | Aplysinidae |
| Field Guide group | Porifera: Sponges (Basal Metazoans) |
| Diagnostic feature (Field Guide) | Caribbean reef filter-feeder forming clusters of long, pink-to-lavender cylindrical tubes up to 1.5 meters tall that lack mineral spicules and are supported entirely by a tough, flexible network of brominated spongin fibers. |
| Order | Verongiida |
| Chemistry | Brominated compounds |