Phylum Porifera
Purple branching sponge
Callyspongia sp.*
Family Callyspongiidae
updated Dec 11


Where seen? Like a little purple bush, this sponge is commonly seen on stones and other hard surfaces near the mid-water mark on our Northern shores.

Features:
A bunch of 'stems' slender (1-1.5cm thick) and long (10-15cm), usually growing upright but sometimes sprawling horizontally hugging the surface. The stems are not extensively branched and cylindrical with rounded tips (not tapering). With small shallow holes regularly spaced along the length of the 'stem' (not just at the tips, and the 'stem' is not a hollow tube). The surface texture is rough. Colours usually purple to lilac.

These sponges are draped with sponge synaptid sea cucumbers at some times of the year.

Pulau Sekudu, Jan 06

Sometimes draped with
synaptid sea cucumbers
Chek Jawa, Aug 05

Chek Jawa, Feb 02

Pulau Sekudu, Jan 06

Purple branching sponges on Singapore shores

Pulau Sekudu, Jun 04

Tuas, Dec 03

Pulau Sekudu, Jul 06

more photos of purple branching sponges on Singapore shores
part 1 | part 2

*Species are difficult to positively identify without close examination.
On this website, they are grouped by external features for convenience of display.

References

www.flickr.com
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sponges.
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