Intertidal Invertebrates of the Monterey Bay Area, California

Compiled & photographed by Gary McDonald, Long Marine Laboratory, University of California, Santa Cruz

Description: May be yellow-tan, chrome-yellow, olive or greenish. May form encrusting sheet up to several centimeters thick, with short, irregularly placed oscules (when growing on rocks in less protected areas), or may form large masses with elongate oscular tubes (when growing in more protected areas such as pier pilings in bays). Relatively fragile, with smooth surface. Often has a distinct, unpleasant odor. As with many sponges, the spicules must be examined identify this species.