Family LEUCALTIDAE Dendy & Row, 1913

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Introduction

The sponges of the family Leucaltidae Dendy & Row, 1913 have solitary, tubular and spherical growth forms with a single terminal osculum, or tubular, branching and reticulate growth forms with many oscula. The wall of the sponge is composed of at least two distinct layers: ectosomal cortex consisting of a strongly developed skeleton of tangential tri- and quadriradiate spicules, and a chamber layer with the skeleton greatly reduced or even absent. A thin gastral cortex or membrane may or may not be present. The skeleton is composed mainly of equiangular radiates (Hooper & Wiedenmayer 1994: fig. 147), no sub-gastral sagittal radiates. The nuclei of collared cells are probably always basal. Choanocyte chambers vary from elongate, sometimes branching, radially arranged, to small, subspherical ones scattered in the choanosome (Hartman 1982).

Borojevic et al. (1990) provide a brief revised diagnosis for the family (based on the inclusion of Ascandra and thus differing from Hartman's (1982) scheme), including sponges with tubular, ramified or even anastomosed cormus either with many oscula, or individualised with a large atrium and a single osculum; sponge wall composed of a distinct cortex and choanosome; skeleton of choanosome and atrial wall absent or composed of small and dispersed triradiates and quadriradiates.

The family presently comprises four genera which are widely distributed in tropical, temperate, and Subantarctic seas. Three genera are represented in the Australian fauna. They range from littoral habitats to depths of at least 457 m (Hartman 1982).

Reviews and discussions are to be found in Burton (1963; critique of Dendy and Row 1913), Hartman (1958; Leucaltidae retained unchanged in Calcinea, Leucettida), Borojevic (1967; in Calcinea, scope of Dendy & Row, 1913 retained, phylogeny), Hartman (1982) and Borojevic et al. (1990).

Database Notes

2004

Now contains 4 genera instead of 3 (added Leuclathrina)

Diagnosis

Clathrinida with a tubular, ramified or even anastomosed cormus with many oscula, or individualised with a large central atrium and a single osculum. The sponge wall is composed of a distinct cortex sustained by a well developed skeleton, and a choanosome. The skeleton of the choanosome and the atrial wall may be absent or composed of small and dispersed triactines and tetractines.

ID Keys

See Order Clathrinida Diagnosis

Diagnosis References

Borojevic, R., Boury-Esnault, N., Manuel, M. & Vacelet, J. 2002. Order Clathrinida Hartman, 1958. pp. 1141-1152 in Hooper, J.N.A. & Soest, R.W.M. Van (eds). Systema Porifera. A guide to the classification of sponges. New York : Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers Vol. 2. [1146-1147]

General References

Borojevic, R. 1967. Eponges calcaires des côtes de France. II. Le genre Ascandra Haeckel emend. Archives de Zoologie Expérimentale et Générale 107: 357-368 5 figs

Borojevic, R., Boury-Esnault, N. & Vacelet, J. 1990. A revision of the supraspecific classification of the subclass Calcinea (Porifera, Class Calcarea). Bulletin du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle. Paris [published 1895-1906] 4 12(A,2): 243-276

Burton, M. 1963. A Revision of the Classification of the Calcareous Sponges. London : British Museum pp. 1-693 figs 1-375.

Dendy, A. & Row, R.W.H. 1913. The classification and phylogeny of the calcareous sponges, with a reference list of all the described species, systematically arranged. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1913: 704-813

Hartman, W.D. 1958. A re-examination of Bidder's classification of the Calcarea. Systematic Zoology 7: 97-110

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.

Hooper, J.N.A. & Wiedenmayer, F. 1994. Porifera. pp. 1–620 in Wells, A. (ed.). Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Melbourne : CSIRO Australia Vol. 12 xiii 624 pp. [Date published 21/Nov/1994]

History of changes