Harp sponge
Chondrocladia lyra Lee, Reiswig, Austin & Lundsten, 2012
Status not recordedsponges
The harp sponge (Chondrocladia lyra) is a sponge in the genus Chondrocladia and the family Cladorhizidae. It belongs to the kingdom Animalia, phylum Porifera, class Demospongiae and order Poecilosclerida.
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Quick facts about the harp sponge
The species was named by Lee, Reiswig, Austin & Lundsten, 2012, and the Catalogue of Life lists it as living, not extinct.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Carnivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- arthropodssrc for Main food
- Habitat
- marinesrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Conservation status
- Not recorded
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the harp sponge live?
Not recorded
What is the harp sponge?
Chondrocladia lyra, also known as the lyre sponge or harp sponge, is a species of carnivorous deep-sea sponge first discovered off the Californian coast living at depths of 10,800–11,500 feet (3,300–3,500 m) by Welton L. Lee, Henry M Reiswig, William C. Austin, and Lonny Lundsten from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI).
The species was listed among the Top 10 New Species 2013 discovered in 2012 as selected by the International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University out of more than 140 nominated species. The selection was publicised on 22 May 2013.
From the Wikipedia article “Chondrocladia lyra” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chondrocladia_lyra&oldid=1384470984), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the harp sponge endangered?
No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.
How is the harp sponge classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumPorifera
- classDemospongiae
- orderPoecilosclerida
- familyCladorhizidae
- genusChondrocladia
- SpeciesChondrocladia lyra Lee, Reiswig, Austin & Lundsten, 2012
Synonyms Chondrocladia lyra
Relatives of the harp sponge
Other species in the same genus Chondrocladia.
CompareHarp sponge vs Carnivorous spongeHarp sponge vs Chondrocladia albatrossiHarp sponge vs Chondrocladia amphactisHarp sponge vs Chondrocladia antarctica
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the harp sponge?
The harp sponge is a sponge, grouped with the other invertebrates. It belongs to the phylum Porifera and the class Demospongiae.
What is the scientific name of the harp sponge?
The scientific name of the harp sponge is Chondrocladia lyra, placed in the genus Chondrocladia.
Who named the harp sponge and when?
The harp sponge was named by Lee, Reiswig, Austin & Lundsten, 2012.
What family does the harp sponge belong to?
The harp sponge belongs to the family Cladorhizidae, in the order Poecilosclerida.
Is the harp sponge extinct?
No, the harp sponge is living, not extinct, according to the Catalogue of Life.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-13. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Harp sponge (Chondrocladia lyra). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/harp-sponge
“Harp sponge (Chondrocladia lyra).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/harp-sponge.
@misc{harp_sponge_2026,
title = {Harp sponge (Chondrocladia lyra)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/harp-sponge},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-13}
}