Family CRELLIDAE Dendy, 1922

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Introduction

Crellidae Dendy, 1922 has encrusting, massive, club-shaped and branching growth forms. The choanosomal skeleton is regularly reticulate or plumo-reticulate, composed of bundles of smooth oxeas (Hooper & Wiedenmayer 1994: fig. 5). The ectosomal skeleton has a thick crust of tangentially placed acanthostyles (Hooper & Wiedenmayer 1994: fig. 22) and/or acanthoxeas. Acanthose spicules may also be embedded perpendicular to skeletal tracts and/or erect on basal spongin (=echinating basal acanthostyles), and dispersed within the choanosome between the tracts of smooth diactines. Microscleres consist of arcuate isochelae (Hooper & Wiedenmayer 1994: fig. 67), anisochelae (Hooper & Wiedenmayer 1994: fig. 73) and sigmas (Hooper & Wiedenmayer 1994: fig. 79, 80).

Members of the family are widely distributed in the oceans from shallow depths to at least 2460 m (Hartman 1982).Twenty five nominal genera are included in this family, of which only 13 are now recognised, although some of these are not well established and some are possibly synonyms (e.g. Grayella and Crella). Three genera have published Australian records.

The Crellidae is reviewed in Lundbeck (1909), Topsent (1928), de Laubenfels (1936), Brien et al. (1973), Bergquist (1978), Hartman (1982), Van Soest (1984) and Lévi & Lévi (1984). Bergquist & Fromont (1988) revised the New Zealand species.

Diagnosis

Encrusting, massive, club-shaped and branching growth forms. Choanosomal skeleton regularly reticulate or plumo-reticulate, composed of bundles of smooth oxeas. Ectosomal skeleton with a thick crust of tangentially placed acanthostyles and/or acanthoxeas. Spicules also fortify the walls of elevated surface areolae. Acanthose spicules may also be embedded erect on basal spongin (i.e. echinating basal acanthostyles), and dispersed within the choanosome between the tracts of smooth diactines. True echination of the tornote bundles has not been recorded so far. Microscleres consist of arcuate isochelae, occasionally anisochelate, and sigmas.

ID Keys

KEY TO GENERA
(1) Chelae include peculiar, reduced anisochelae next to normal isochelae ------------------------------- Anisocrella
Only normal isochelae or chelae absent -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2

(2) Surface skeleton made up of strongly spined aster- or spiraster-like spicules which are modified acanthoxeas -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3
No astrose acanthoxeas -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4

(3) Basal acanthostyles absent, stylote tornotes ------------------------------------------------------------ Crellastrina
Basal acanthostyles present, oxeote tornotes ------------------------------------------------------------- Spirorhabdia

(4) Chelae normally arcuate with rounded alae or chelae absent -------------------------------------------------- Crella
Chelae polydentate-anchorate (sharp-teethed) -------------------------------------------------------------- Crellomima

Diagnosis References

van Soest, R.W.M. 2002. Family Crellidae Dendy, 1922. pp. 556-566 in Hooper, J.N.A. & van Soest, R.W.M. (eds). Systema Porifera: A guide to the classification of sponges. New York : Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers Vol. 1. [556]

General References

Bergquist, P.R. 1978. Sponges. London : Hutchinson 268 pp. 12 pls 81 figs 15 tables.

Bergquist, P.R. & Fromont, J. 1988. The marine fauna of New Zealand: Porifera, Demospongiae, Part 4 (Poecilosclerida). New Zealand Oceanographic Institute Memoir 96: 1-197 pls 1-57

Brien, P., Lévi, C., Sarà, M., Tuzet, O. & Vacelet, J. 1973. Spongiaires. pp. 1-716 485 figs in Grassé, P.P. (ed.). Traité de Zoologie. Anatomie, Systématique, Biologie. Paris : Masson et Cie Vol. 3(1).

Hartman, W.D. 1982. Porifera. pp. 640-666 in Parker, S.P. (ed.). Synopsis and Classification of Living Organisms. New York : McGraw-Hill Vol. 1.

Laubenfels, M.W. de 1936. A discussion of the sponge fauna of the Dry Tortugas in particular, and the West Indies in general, with material for a revision of the families and orders of the Porifera. (Tortugas Lab. Paper No. 467). Publication of the Carnegie Institution of Washington Washington 30: 1-225 22 pls 1 map

Lundbeck, W. 1909. The Porifera of East Greenland. Meddelelser om Grønland 29: 423-464 pl. 14

Topsent, E. 1928. Spongiaires de l'Atlantique et de la Méditerranée provenant des croisières du Prince Albert Ier de Monaco. Résultats des Campagnes Scientifiques accomplies par le Prince Albert I. Monaco 74: 1-376 11 pls

van Soest, R.W.M. 1984. Marine sponges from Curaçao and other Caribbean localities. Part III. Poecilosclerida. Studies on the Fauna of Curaçao and other Caribbean Islands 66(199): 1-167 pls 1-10

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