Name

Euplectella

Venus' flower basket.

Framing

Phylum: Porifera

Class: Hexactinellida

Genus: Euplectella

Habitat

Aquatic, marine, benthic, deep water, soft bottoms

Feeding

Filter feeder

Distribution

Western Pacific

Additional information

Slender forms and more or less cylindrical body; siliceous triaxon and hexactin spicules. Inside the sponge Euplectella aspergillum, a couple of crabs can live in symbiosis for life, as they enter through the holes in the sponge as larvae. The crabs receive food and protection and rid the sponges of parasites.