''Calyx podatypa'' is a species of sea sponge belonging to the family

Phloeodictyidae The Phloeodictyidae are a family of sponge Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a basal animal clade as a sister of the diploblasts. They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and ...

. It is native to the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

. The species was first described in 1934 by American spongiologist Max Walker de Laubenfels. It is commonly found in shallow reefs, among seagrass and on mangrove roots. It is described as being mostly hollow with growths that range from branched to lobate in shape and tubular projections. It has round openings between 1-5mm in size. The colour is "Brown-yellowish to greenish" on the outside and tan on the inside.

Antimicrobial compounds

A number of biologically active compounds have been isolated from ''Calyx podatypa'' including

Diketopiperazine A diketopiperazine (DKP), also known as a ''dioxopiperazine'' or ''piperazinedione'', is a class of organic compounds related to piperazine but containing two amide linkages. DKP's are the smallest known class of cyclic peptide. Despite their name, ...

s and ''N''-methylpyridinium salts with antimicrobial effects.

References

Haplosclerida Sponges described in 1934 {{Demospongiae-stub