A group of Venus' flower basket glass sponges (Euplectella aspergillum), with a squat lobster among them.

Venus' Flower Basket (Euplectella aspergillum) — Glass sponges with a squat lobster.

Creator: NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program, Gulf of Mexico 2012 Expedition. Public domain under the Commons file page’s PD-USGov-NOAA notice; source credit: NOAA Photo Library.

Licence: Public domain (PD-USGov-NOAA)

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Species record

Venus' Flower Basket

Euplectella aspergillum

Explore the Venus' Flower Basket (Euplectella aspergillum) species record in The Ark Is Earth, including classification, habitat, distribution, conservation information, and sources.

Summary

Venus' flower basket is a glass sponge found in the western Pacific near the Philippines, attached to rocky seafloor at depths of roughly 100–1,000 metres. Its fused silica skeleton forms a glassy lattice that filters microscopic food from seawater and can shelter small shrimp.

Classification in this archive

  1. Kingdom: Animals
  2. Phylum: Sponges
  3. Class: Glass sponges
  4. Order: Lyssacinosida
  5. Family: Euplectellidae
  6. Genus: Euplectella

Habitat and distribution

Selected documented locations — not a complete species range.

Habitat
rocky seafloor of the western Pacific, deep water (about 100–1,000 m)
Selected regions
Asia, Oceania

Conservation status

Conservation status not recorded.

Did you know?

  • Small shrimp may live inside the sponge lattice; as they grow, the adults can become too large to leave.

More images

A Venus' flower basket glass sponge (Euplectella aspergillum) on Davidson Seamount.

Venus' Flower Basket (Euplectella aspergillum) — Specimen at Davidson Seamount.

Creator: NOAA/Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Public domain under the Commons file page’s PD-USGov-NOAA notice.

Licence: Public domain (PD-USGov-NOAA)

View image source

Sources and attribution