Halisarcida, Halisarcidae
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| Common Name(s): | Star encrusting sponge |
| Growth Form: | Encrusting sheets a few millimeters thick. |
| Surface: | Smooth, shiny, with distinct short canals converging in oscules. |
| Color: | Sky blue to violet. |
| Consistency: | Leathery, despite being very thin. |
| Exudate: | None. |
| Oscules: | Irregularly scattered throughout the surface, small. |
| Skeletal Components (Spicules, Fibers): | None. |
| Skeletal Architecture: | None. |
| Ecology: | Prefers crevices, overhangs and undersides of corals in shallow and deep reefs and hard bottoms. |
| Distribution: | South Florida, Bahamas, Caribbean. |
| Notes: | Because this sponge lacks any skeletal components, either spicules or fibers, it may be confused with some encrusting sea squirts (Urochordata: Ascidiacea), which, however, may have microscopic calcareous spicules imbedded in their tunics. |
| References: | Vacelet & Donadey (1987). |