Marine Biodiversity » Marine Sponges » Calcarea » Calcarea Classification » Subclass Calcinea

Marine SpongesCalcarea Introduction
Calcarea ClassificationSubclass CalcineaSubclass Calcaronea

Order Clathrinida
Family Clathrinidae
Family Soleniscidae
Family Levinellidae
Family Leucaltidae
Family Leucascidae
Family Leucettidae
Order Murrayonida

Subclass Calcinea
Order Clathrinida
Family Soleniscidae BOROJEVIC, BOURY-ESNAULT & VACELET, 1990

taken from 'Sponguide' by J.N.A. Hooper (Queensland Museum, Brisbane)

Definition: Essentially tubular organisation; a continuous choanoderm lines all internal cavities; spicules are regular triradiates and/or quadriradiates, sometimes with tripods or biradiates; sponges grow in the form of an individual olynthus, with several olynthi growing from the basal stolon-like tubes, or in the form of distally branching tubes radially arranged around a central olynthus tube without any special skeletal differentiation.

Scope: Two genera are included.

Reviews: Nil.

Genera:
Soleniscus Haeckel, 1870 (type species: Leucosolenia stolonifer Dendy, 1891) - form of an individual erect olynthus, with several olynthi growing from basal stolon-like tubes (tubular spongorhiza), or in the form of distally ramified creeping tubes (Borojevic et al., 1990); surface hispid; apical oscules, firm texture; skeleton of regular to slightly sagittal quadriradiates and oxeas (Burton, 1963). GBR species: Soleniscus stolonifer (Dendy, 1891), Soleniscus radovani Wörheide & Hooper 1999, Dendya Bidder, 1898 (type species: Clathrina tripodifera Carter, 1886) - Cormus solitary, conical to ovoid, consisting of a large central tube from which smaller radially arranged tubes branch off; surface even, reticulate; oscules apical; texture firm; skeleton of regular and tripodal triradiates and sagittal quadriradiates (Burton, 1963; Borojevic et al., 1990).