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 Description:
The fire sponge is a distinctive species that is potentially harmful when
touched. It is a red or orange encrusting sponge that may spread 4 -
12 inches wide to a thickness of 3/8 inch. There is a thin,
translucent skin. The excurrent canals form scattered cone-shaped
projections less than 1/2 inch high. Contact with this species causes
painful rash, swelling, burning, and numbness that may last several days.
Habitat:
Typical habitats for fire sponges include rocks and dead corals in patch
reefs; also red mangrove roots, turtlegrass (Thalassia testudinum)
beds, bays, rock and shell rubble in the shallow intertidal and
subtidal zones.
Range:
Fire sponges range from Florida through the Bahamas and Caribbean south to
Brazil.
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Fire sponge, Tedania ignis, growing
over a rock face Photo courtesy of NOAA.
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The painful burning, rash and swelling that results from handling a fire
sponge can be treated first by bathing the affected area with vinegar, then
with meat tenderizer, followed by a hydrocortizone cream. |
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