You can identify a Yellow Tube Sponge (Aplysina fistularis) by its one or more tube-like yellowish or sometimes orange-brown structures. Its color depends on the depth it exists in. The bottom of the tubes are closed, but the tops are open, providing suitable habitat for invertebrates. The tubes can’t move since they are attached to the reef's surface. These sponges lack tissue, unlike other sponges with a glass-like skeleton structure. It reproduces both sexually and asexually. The Yellow tube sponge mostly inhabits the coral reefs of the Caribbean, especially in areas with strong currents.
The Yellow Tube Sponge has an overall cluster diameter between 11.8”-39.4” (30-100 cm) and height of 19.7”-47.2” (50-120 cm). The typical diameters of the individual tubes are in the range of 1.2”-5.9” (3-15 cm).
You can identify a Yellow Tube Sponge (Aplysina fistularis) by its one or more tube-like yellowish or sometimes orange-brown structures. Its color depends on the depth it exists in. The bottom of the tubes are closed, but the tops are open, providing suitable habitat for invertebrates. The tubes can’t move since they are attached to the reef's surface. These sponges lack tissue, unlike other sponges with a glass-like skeleton structure. It reproduces both sexually and asexually. The Yellow tube sponge mostly inhabits the coral reefs of the Caribbean, especially in areas with strong currents.
The Yellow Tube Sponge has an overall cluster diameter between 11.8”-39.4” (30-100 cm) and height of 19.7”-47.2” (50-120 cm). The typical diameters of the individual tubes are in the range of 1.2”-5.9” (3-15 cm).
