Family DYSIDEIDAE Gray, 1867

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Diagnosis

Dysideids are uniquely characterised within the Dictyoceratida by the presence of eurypylous choanocyte chambers. They also have concentrically laminated and pithed skeletal fibres (to varying degrees), cored fibres, and some species have a sand-armoured surface. The sponges are histologically simple, with few secretory cell types present in the mesohyl. These sponges are soft and compressible or pliable, unless rendered brittle by interstitial detritus. The sponge surface is always conulose, but the size, shape and arrangement of conules ranges from very small, fine and even, to large and irregular, or tuberculate. Members of the Dysideidae often develop a tangential network of cellular tracts which produce a lacy pattern on the surface. These tracts convey debris for incorporation into growing fibres. Dysideids have only light collagen deposition within the mesohyl.

ID Keys

KEY TO GENERA

(1) Primary and secondary fibres cored with foreign debris .............................................................. 2
Primary fibres cored, secondary fibres clear ............................................................................... 3
(2) Skeleton regular, with primary fibres perpendicular to surface ...................................................... 4
Skeleton irregular, without clear distinction into primary and secondary fibres....................... Lamellodysidea
(3) Encrusting, massive or branching, very soft and collapsible ........................................... Euryspongia
Lamellate or vasiform, dense, soft and pliable .................................................................... Citronia
(4)Sponge thin, encrusting, fragile, with secondary fibre skeleton sparse or absent .................... Pleraplysilla
Sponge massive, with secondary fibre skeleton well developed ................................................. Dysidea

Diagnosis References

Cook, S.D.C. & Bergquist, P.R. 2002. Family Dysideidae Gray, 1867. pp. 1061-1066 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. [1061]

General References

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

Bergquist, P.R. 1980. A revision of the supraspecific classification of the orders Dictyoceratida, Dendroceratida and Verongida (Class Demospongiae). New Zealand Journal of Zoology 7: 443-503 figs 1-25 pls

Bergquist, P.R. 1995. Dictyoceratida, Dendroceratida and Verongida from the New Caledonia Lagoon (Porifera: Demospongiae). Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 38(1): 1-51

Bergquist, P.R., Karuso, P. & Cambie, R.C. 1990. Taxonomic relationships within the Dendroceratida: a biological and chemotaxonomic appraisal. pp. 72-78 in Rützler, K. (ed.). New Perspectives in Sponge Biology. Washington : Smithsonian Institution Press.

Boury-Esnault, N., de Vos, L., Donadey, C. & Vacelet, J. 1990. Ultrastructure of choanosome and sponge classification. pp. 237-244 in Rützler, K. (ed.). New Perspectives in Sponge Biology. Washington : Smithsonian Institution Press.

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).

Cook, S.D.C. & Bergquist, P.R. 2002. Family Dysideidae Gray, 1867. pp. 1061-1066 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.

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.

van Soest, R.W.M. 1978. Marine sponges from Curaçao and other Caribbean localities. Part. I. Keratosa. Studies on the Fauna of Curaçao and other Caribbean Islands 56(179): 1-94 30 figs 15 pls

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