Niphates erecta Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864
Lavender rope sponge
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Family:  Niphatidae ()
Max. size:  2 cm BRW (male/unsexed)
Environment:  reef-associated; brackish; marine; depth range 0 - 100 m
Distribution:  Western Atlantic and Western Central Pacific.
Diagnosis:  Ramose to massive-encrusting. Branches: 1 - 2 cm wide. Light grayish, pink or purple, externally, lighter internally. Surface from smooth to extremely spiny, with or without zooanthids. Oscules: 0.2 - 0.7 cm in diameter. Spongy but tough in consistency (Ref. 415).
Biology:  At Bocas, common both in the reef and in the mangroves (Ref. 415). Commensal with amphipods (Ref. 82302, 86735). Inhabits coralline algae reef, algal nodules, and lower mesophotic reefs (Ref. 128739).
IUCN Red List Status: Not Evaluated (N.E.) Ref. 123251)
Threat to humans: 
Country info:   
 

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