Suberites aurantiacus

About Suberites aurantiacus

Suberites aurantiacus is a marine demosponge in the family Suberitidae. The Kauaʻi source used the name Suberites zeteki; the reconciliation retains that historical label while linking it to the accepted species name. Public field photographs show substantial variation in outline, so the plate should be read as a species illustration rather than a field identification key. Similar-looking Suberites require examination of their skeletal characters. The source classified the historical record as introduced; that label does not establish present abundance or a measured local impact.

The Kauaʻi evidence comes from a historical source record dated 2002, retained as “Suberites zeteki” in Appendix A printed p. 68 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.