Reef biodiversity
From left to right, a bipinnate sea plume, pillar coral (background), red encrusting sponge (foreground), azure vase sponge and lettuce encrusting coral. A wide mesh sea fan is top right, and two red boring sponges are beneath the lettuce coral. Note the tiny fish on the azure vase sponge (bridled goby?) and the sharp nosed pufferfish just to the left of the red encrusting sponge.
I am intrigued by azure vase sponges, which seem to emanate light. My identification book explains that some of them fluoresce, and perhaps that has something to do with their eerie hue.
Reef biodiversity
From left to right, a bipinnate sea plume, pillar coral (background), red encrusting sponge (foreground), azure vase sponge and lettuce encrusting coral. A wide mesh sea fan is top right, and two red boring sponges are beneath the lettuce coral. Note the tiny fish on the azure vase sponge (bridled goby?) and the sharp nosed pufferfish just to the left of the red encrusting sponge.
I am intrigued by azure vase sponges, which seem to emanate light. My identification book explains that some of them fluoresce, and perhaps that has something to do with their eerie hue.