Stovepipe Sponge, Aplysina archeri

Stovepipe Sponge, Aplysina archeri. Underwater photographs taken in the coastal waters off Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands, December, 2019. Photographs and identification courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.

Phylogeny: The Stovepipe Sponge, Aplysina archeri (Higgin, 1875), is a member of the Aplysinidae Family of Sponges. The genus Aplysina is one of three genera in the family, and the are forty-three species in this genus. They are also known as the Blue Sponge, the Lavender Stovepipe Sponge, the Pink Tube Sponge, the Siliceous Sponge, and the Tubular Sponge and in Mexico as Esponja Tubo de Estufa.

Morphology:  Stovepipe Sponges have a tube-like appearance. The exterior is rough, but soft. They maintain their rigidity with a skeleton made of collagenous spongin and chitin. They may exist as a single structure, or they may be part of a group of twenty or more individuals.  Stovepipe Sponges can be lavender, pink, gray, brown, or greenish-tan in color. They reach 1.5 m (5.0 feet) in length and 7.6 cm (3.0 inches) in diameter. Species growing in clear water tend to be smaller that those growing in more turbid, nutrient-rich waters. These sponges keep growing their entire lifespan, which can be hundreds of years.

Habitat and Distribution:  Stovepipe Sponges are generally found growing on hard substrates such as rocks and reefs at depths between 10 m (33 feet) and 35 m (115 feet). They are sometimes found on vertical surfaces. They have a limited capacity for surge or other water movement so they are usually found in calm waters. They can also grow in brackish waters.

Diet:  Stovepipe Sponges are filter feeders that pump water through their body wall and filter out plankton and suspended organic matter. The water enters the body through the pores and is expelled through the osculi. In doing so, they filter the water around them and recycle organic matter to higher trophic levels.

Predators:  Stovepipe Sponges are preyed upon by Gastropods, such as the Umbrella Shell, Umbraculum umbraculum, nudibranchs, sea stars and sea urchins.

Reproduction:  Stovepipe Sponges are simultaneous hermaphrodites (having both male and female reproductive organs). They can reproduce sexually and asexually. Asexual reproduction occurs when the parent breaks down to release gemmules and begin budding. Sexual reproduction occurs through spermcast spawning. Spermcast spawning involves releasing sperm into water, while retaining the eggs. The eggs are then fertilized internally. The embryos develop in brood chambers until they reach a certain size, then disperse as planktonic parenchymella larvae. These larvae are free swimming, until they settle down on hard substrate where they  grow into a young sponges.

Ecosystem Interactions:  Stovepipe Sponges contribute to the ecosytem by filtering the water in a localized area and moving organic matter to higher trophic levels. They also have mutualistic relationships with multiple species, whereby the other animals receive a place to live, and the sponge feeds on their waste matter. These species include: Suenson’s Brittle Star, Ophiothrix suensoni, Dusky Cardinalfish, Phaeoptyx pigmentaria, Shortstripe Goby, Elacatinus chancei, Sponge Cardinalfish, Phaeoptyx xenus, Spotlight Goby, Elacatinus louisae, and Yellowline Goby, Elacatinus hursti and the decapods, American Grass Shrimp, Periclimenes americanus, Bermuda Sponge Shrimp, Periclimenaeus bermudensis, Bredini Caridean Shrimp, Periclimenes  bredini, Dotted Snapping Shrimp, Alpheus cristulifrons, Enigmatic Tanaid, Chondrochelia dubia, Gaudy Clown Crab, Platypodiella spectabillis, Manning Grass Shrimp, Thor manningi, Minus Snapping Shrimp, Syanpheus minus, Perlatus Caridean Shrimp, Pericliminaeus perlatus, Shortfinger Hermit Crab, Pagurus brevidactylus, Townsend Snapping Shrimp, Synalpheus townsendi, and the Yellowbanded Coral Shrimp, Stenopus scutellatus.

Human Interactions:  Stovepipe Sponges have no direct impact on human activities. From a conservation perspective they have not been formally evaluated however they are fairly common with a relatively wide distribution and should be consider to be of Least Concern.

Synonyms:  Luffaria archeri and Verongia archeri.