in the sides of the sponge. Organic debris and microscopic organisms are absorbed through this process. They consume bacteria and small plankton. Life Stages Euplectella experiences two main life stages: the larval stage or the adult stage. In the larval stage, the larvae is free flowing in the water. This type of larvae is considered trichimella due to its free swimming nature. Eventually, the larvae attached to rocks and metamorphoses into sea sponge. In the adult stage, Euplectella are sessile and attached firmly to rocks through spicules. It is unclear how long Euplectella generally live however other genus of glass sponge have been known to live up to 15,000 years in the wild. Although the intricate skeleton of Euplectella provides some protection from predation, starfish are known to eat them. Species Euplectella aspera Euplectella aspergillum Euplectella crassistellata Euplectella cucumer Euplectella curvistellata Euplectella gibbsa Euplectella imperialis Euplectella jovis Euplectella marshalli Euplectella nobilis Euplectella nodosa Euplectella oweni Euplectella paratetractina Euplectella plumosum Euplectella simplex Euplectella suberea Euplectella timorensis References Further reading Hexactinellida genera