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Xestospongia proxima

(Duchassaing 1864)
Purplish brown, hard masses that fill crevices and cracks or that cover the substratum with a thick layer of tissue. The surface is generally smooth, although it feels rough to the touch. Oscules are scattered over the surface, flush, or elevated in chimneys. Consistency is hard and firm, not brittle, rather difficult to cut and tear. Characteristically, when it is cut the cut surfaces are sticky to the touch.

Confusingly, it is not at all like its famous close relative, the ’Barrel sponge’. It may have to be placed under Neopetrosia according to the Systema Porifera, but this still need to be confirmed.