Class HOMOSCLEROMORPHA Bergquist, 1978

Museums

Regional Maps

• Homoscleromorpha Bergquist, P.R. 1978. Sponges. London : Hutchinson 268 pp. 12 pls 81 figs 15 tables. [33].
• Homosclerophorides Lévi, C. 1973. Systématique de la classe des Demospongiaria (Démosponges). pp. 577-631 in Brien, P., Lévi, C., Sarà, M., Tuzet, O. & Vacelet, J. (eds). Traité de Zoologie, Anatomie, Systématique, Biologie. III. Spongiaires. (Series ed. P.-P. Grassé). Paris : Masson et Cie. [591] [invalid name; Lévi (1973) used the name 'Homosclerophorides' to encompas what we now call Homoscleromorpha, but the name is 'imperfect', undifferentiated from Order Homosclerophorida Dendy, and hence Bergquist (1978) is presently credited with the subclass, now class Homoscleromorpha].

Diagnosis

Porifera with cinctoblastula larvae and viviparous reproduction; skeleton composed of tetraxonid siliceous spicules and derivatives with equal rays (diods, triods, lophate spicules), arranged around choanocyte chambers reflecting the canal structure; no differentiation between megascleres and microscleres although size differences do occur between types of spicules; spicules usually small (100µm or less), not localised to any particular region; choanocyte chambers with large numbers of choanocytes. There are <100 described species of exclusively marine sponges worldwide, traditionally subdivided into 7 genera based on morphological characters.

ID Keys

(1) Homoscleromorpha containing species with spicules .............................. Plakinidae Schulze, 1880 (genera Plakina, Plakortis, Plakinastrella and Corticium, Plakinolopha)
–. Homoscleromorpha containing species lacking spicules .............................. Oscarellidae Lendenfeld, 1887 (genera Oscarella and Pseudocorticium)

Diagnosis References

Gazave, E., Lapébie, P., Renard, E., Vacelet, J., Rocher, C., Ereskovsky, A.V., Lavrov, D.V. & Borchiellini, C. 2010. Molecular Phylogeny Restores the Supra-Generic Subdivision of Homoscleromorph Sponges (Porifera, Homoscleromorpha). PLoS ONE (Public Library of Science) 5(12): 1-15 [e14290] [2]

General References

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

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).

Dendy, A. 1905. Report on the sponges collected by Professor Herdman, at Ceylon, in 1902. 57-246 pls 1-16 in Herdman, W.A. (ed.). Report to the Government of Ceylon on the Pearl Oyster Fisheries of the Gulf of Manaar. London : Royal Society Vol. 3 Suppl. 18. [64]

Gazave, E., Lapébie, P., Renard, E., Vacelet, J., Rocher, C., Ereskovsky, A.V., Lavrov, D.V. & Borchiellini, C. 2010. Molecular Phylogeny Restores the Supra-Generic Subdivision of Homoscleromorph Sponges (Porifera, Homoscleromorpha). PLoS ONE (Public Library of Science) 5(12): 1-15 [e14290] [e14290] (http://www.marinespecies.org/porifera/porifera.php?p=taxdetails&id=131587 (on 2011-12-28))

Hooper, J.N.A., van Soest, R.W.M. & Pisera, A. 2011. Phylum Porifera Grant, 1826. In: Zhang, Z.-Q. (Ed.) Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher-level classification and survey of taxonomic richness. Zootaxa 3148: 13-18 [13]

Hooper, J.N.A. & van Soest, R.W.M. 2002. Class Demospongiae Sollas, 1885. pp. 15-18 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.

History of changes