Halichondria (Halichondria) coerulea

About Halichondria (Halichondria) coerulea

Halichondria coerulea was described from Oʻahu as a pale-blue, spreading sponge with elevated projections bearing its larger water outlets. The original account found it on artificial surfaces around Coconut Island, including a floating dock and stone pier. Its surface was described as smooth, while the body was fragile rather than freely compressible. These features describe the original Hawaiian material and are useful context for interpreting the name; they do not establish that all blue sponges or all harbor records belong to this species.

The Kauaʻi evidence comes from a historical source record dated 1996, retained as “Halichondria coerulea” in Appendix A printed p. 70 of the cited survey. This preserves evidence of the reported occurrence; it does not establish present-day distribution or abundance. The historical source name and the current name are retained together so the record can be traced through taxonomic changes.