''Negombata magnifica'', commonly known as toxic finger-sponge, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

sponge Sponges or sea sponges are primarily marine invertebrates of the animal phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), a basal clade and a sister taxon of the diploblasts. They are sessile filter feeders that are bound to the seabed, and a ...

found from the

Red Sea The Red Sea is a sea inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. To its north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and th ...

and the Indian Ocean. Its reddish-brown narrow crooked branches can grow up to . ''Negombata magnifica'' is extremely toxic because of the

toxin A toxin is a naturally occurring poison produced by metabolic activities of living cells or organisms. They occur especially as proteins, often conjugated. The term was first used by organic chemist Ludwig Brieger (1849–1919), derived ...

latrunculin The latrunculins are a family of natural products and toxins produced by certain sponges, including genus '' Latrunculia'' and '' Negombata'', whence the name is derived. It binds actin monomers near the nucleotide binding cleft with 1:1 stoichiom ...

. Negombata magnifica - Information on Negombata magnifica - Encyclopedia of Life
/ref> ''Negombata magnifica'' lives on shallow coral reefs in the northern waters of the Red Sea . Unlike many other species of sponges that live in abundance in these waters, preferring to grow between corals and rocks, or under them, ''Negombata magnifica'' grows in sight. The local fish won't touch it so it doesn't get damaged. When touched, it releases a strongly smelling, reddish juice, which instantaneously makes all the fish flee away. ''Negombata magnifica'' is grown artificially to harvest latrunculin.

References

Poecilosclerida Sponges described in 1889 {{Demosponge-stub