- Kingdom: Metazoa.
- Phylum: Porifera.
- Class: Demospongiae / order: Homoscleromorpha.
- Family: Plankinidae.
- Genus: Oscarella.
- Species: Oscarella Lobularis
Description: It forms irregular masses with undulating protrusions where the oscula are located. It is velvety, fleshy, and soft to the touch.
Reproduction: They are hermaphroditic and reproduce by fragmentation. Habitat: In shady places. Distribution: In the North Atlantic, the Azores, and the Mediterranean Sea. They are usually found at depths of between 6 and 10 meters in areas with little current.
Color: Blue and/or violet (depending on the light). Size: Approximately 4 cm high and about 6 cm in diameter; commercially, they are usually sold attached to a stone base. In nature, their size varies.
Caution: None. Lighting: Very low–Low. Diet: It filters water through its body wall, retains the nutrients, and expels the water through the osculum.
Natural predators: Pending further study. Removal method: None.
Notes: It is easily confused with Corallistes nolitangere (Neophrissospongia nolitangere (Schmidt, 1870)), although the latter is larger and gray, and with Oscarella tuberculata. There are approximately 15,000 species of sponges in different shapes, sizes, and colors.
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