It usually grows on a massive coral, not only covering its surface but also burrowing into its interior, but is sometimes found on some other calcareous substrate such as a shell or a limestone rock.

[5] The sponge is a filter feeder, removing bacteria and other organic particles from the current of water sucked in through its many pores by the movement of flagella.

It is an aggressive species and large corals may have the greater part of their surface covered while small individuals may be completely engulfed.

In a study off the coast of Colombia, the most favoured host for the sponge was the starlet coral (Siderastrea siderea) and between 6% and 9% of individuals of this species were affected.

[4] When a colonised coral dies and crumbles, parts of the sponge in the excavated tunnels may break up and detached pieces may become established in a new location, a form of asexual reproduction.