Classification:
Phylum: Porifera
Class: Demosponiae
Scientific Name: Cliona patera
Common Name: Neptunes Cup
Class: Demosponiae
Scientific Name: Cliona patera
Common Name: Neptunes Cup
General Characteristics:
Neptune's Cup is a very large sponge that can reach over a meter in height and width. It's name comes from its wine-glass shape. The species was thought to be extinct in the early 1900's but living specimens were discovered in 2011. It is a filter feeder and lives a sedentary life-style, attached to the sea floor via a large root. There is still not a lot known about the Neptune's Cup sponge given its recent rediscovery.
Habitat:
The most recent living specimen of Neptune's Cup was found off the coast of Singapore attached to the muddy bottom of the sea floor.
Importance to Humans:
Neptune's Goblet was thought to be extinct a century ago until its recent rediscovery in 2011. They grow to such a large size that Neptune's Goblet was used as childrens' bathtubs. The reason for thier seeming extinction was overharvesting.
Sources:
"Cliona platera". AnimalWiki. Retrieved from: http://linnaeus.zoology.gla.ac.uk/~rpage/wiki/index.php/Cliona_patera.