Asteropus kaena

About Asteropus kaena

Asteropus kaena is a rough-surfaced marine sponge whose projecting skeletal elements give the outside a distinctly bristly appearance. Hawaiian taxonomic descriptions report a gray exterior and a pale interior. Its inconspicuous coloration makes texture more useful than color alone when looking for it among reef surfaces. Identification still depends on the microscopic skeleton; the Atlas illustration is a reconstruction of the named taxon, not a photograph of the historical Kauaʻi specimen.

The Kauaʻi evidence comes from a historical source record dated 2002, retained as “Stellettinopsis kaena” in Appendix A printed p. 67 of the cited survey. This preserves evidence of the reported occurrence; it does not establish present-day distribution or abundance. The historical source name and the current name are retained together so the record can be traced through taxonomic changes.