While it is highly toxic to many fish, this sponge is eaten by certain angelfish and is known to form part of the diet of the hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata).

The surface is broadly undulating and rough, with a mixture of large and small osculi surrounded by groups of fine pores, each 1 to 2 mm (0.04 to 0.08 in) in diameter.

The color of the sponge both inside and out is purplish, gray or brownish-black, and the surface is often partly obscured by sediment or by algae growing on it.

[3] Although it is toxic to many vertebrates, some fish have been observed to feed on this sponge, a fact confirmed by fragments of the sponge being found in their guts; these fish include the queen angelfish (Holacanthus ciliaris), the rock beauty (Holacanthus tricolor) and the French angelfish (Pomacanthus paru).

Other predators feeding on the sponge include the polychaete worm Branchiosyllis oculata, and the red cushion sea star (Oreaster reticulatus).