Neopetrosia proxima is a species of marine petrosiid sponge native to the tropical and subtropical waters of the western Atlantic Ocean.

[4][5] The sponge mass is lobated, with regular to irregularly shaped lobes typically 3 to 5 cm (1.2 to 2.0 in) tall.

Each lobe has one opening (oscule) about 2 to 5 mm (0.079 to 0.197 in) in diameter, either located flush on the surface or elevated in small chimneys.

[4][5] N. proxima serves as a host to symbiotic cyanobacteria,[4] as well as colonies of the eusocial snapping shrimp in the genus Synalpheus.

[4] This species is found in the tropical and subtropical waters of the western Atlantic Ocean, from the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of the United States to the Caribbean Sea (including the waters off Colombia, Costa Rica, Belize, Barbados, the Greater Antilles, Hispaniola, Panama, and the Virgin Islands).