Halichondria panacea

The Bread Crumb Sponge

Phylum Porifera
Class Demospongiae
Order Monactinelllida
Family Chalinidae
Genus Halichondria
Species panacea

Description: Reaches a height of 5 cm; color varies from yellow to green; oscula are visible and very prominent, forming low ÒvolcanoesÓ; thin encrusting.

Habitat: Found on floats, pilings, and the underside of rocks.

Natural History: Has an odor similar to that of exploded gunpowder. It tends to be thicker than H. bowerbanki, but its excurrent "volcanoes" are not as large. It is distasteful to most predators, but is grazed upon by several species of dorid nudibranchs and at least one species of sea star.