Pericharax heterorhaphis

Polejaeff, 1883

Calcareous Yellow Sponge

Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean

Natural Environment: Inhabits shaded cave walls, rubble and rocky shelf areas, and also found under overhangs where currents are strong.

Aquarium Suitability: Not collected for the home aquarium trade.

Best left in the wild.

Note: For a photo of this sponge, visit the Indo-Pacific Coral Reef Field Guide page 30.

Taxonomy:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Porifera

Class: Calcarea

Subclass: Calcinea

Order: Clathrinida

Family: Leucetta

Genus: Pericharax

FYI: These are sponges having skeletons composed of three or four rayed calcareous spicules, which consist of calcium carbonate in the form of calcite.

Sponges posses no nervous, digestive or excretory systems, and feed by filtering suspended bacteria and fine detritus. Strong water movement is vital to almost all, not only for carrying food to these sessile creatures but also to carry waste/unused matter away. In fact, a sponge the size of a baseball can filter about fifty gallons of water per hour!