Negombata magnifica

(Keller, 1889)

Toxic Finger Sponge

Range: Indian Ocean: Red Sea.

Natural Environment: Inhabits local reefs and grows between corals and rocks or under them.

Aquarium Suitability: Not collected for the home aquarium trade.

Best left in the wild.

Taxonomy:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Porifera

Class: Demospongiae

Subclass: Heteroscleromorpha

Order: Poecilosclerida

Family: Latrunculiidae

Genus: Negombata

FYI: Shown here for identification purpose only.

Toxic, and if touched, will release a cloud of toxic substances/strong anti-feeding chemical to withstand being fed upon by fishes.

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!

Was previously identified as Latrunculia magnifica.

According to the Baensch Marine Atlas Vol. 2, page 32, it is extremely poisonous.