Neofibularia nolitangere

(Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864)

Touch-me-not Sponge

Range: Western Atlantic Ocean: Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas, and Bonaire to Colombia.

Natural Environment: Inhabits reef flats at various depths.

Aquarium Suitability: Not collected for the home aquarium trade.

Often found living with the sponge threadworm Syllis spongicola, the brittle star Ophiothrix suensonii, the Florida snail Vermicularia knorrii, and gobies Gobisoma horsti and G. chancei. Upon humans touching it, can cause an allergic reaction such as swelling in the chest with pain that lasts for weeks.

Note: Discussed here for identification purpose only.

For a photo of this sponge, visit the Baensch Marine Atlas Vol. 2, page 61.

Taxonomy:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Porifera

Class: Demospongiae

Subclass: Heteroscleromorpha

Order: Biemnida

Family: Biemnidae

Genus: Neofibularia