Family PHERONEMATIDAE Gray, 1870

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Introduction

Pheronematidae Gray, 1870 (synonym Semperellidae Schulze, 1886) are sponges with thick-walled vase-shaped, or columnar and lamellate growth forms. Oscula are single, terminal, or grouped and dispersed on opposite sides of lamellae, or grouped into sieve-plates and scattered indiscriminately. Dermal spicules are scepters (Hooper & Wiedenmayer 1994: figs 184–189) derived from marginal prostals (i.e. spicules projecting around the oscula) and pleural prostals (i.e. spicules projecting from the sides of the body). Choanosomal spicules are uncinates (Hooper & Wiedenmayer 1994: fig. 192) and scepters, and hexactine and/or pentactines support the choanosome (Hooper & Wiedenmayer 1994: figs 201, 204). Basal spicules have bidentate terminal anchors (Hooper & Wiedenmayer 1994: fig. 193), and tufts of basal spicules are never twisted nor do they form axial columns.

These sponges live at depths between 200–3000 m (Hartman 1982). The family is widely distributed in the world's oceans (Hartman 1982), but has only recently been recorded for the Australian fauna, with the description of a species in one of the six genera (Reiswig 1992).

Diagnosis

Body varies strongly from a cup-like to conical and bilaterallysymmetrical form, lophophytose, with or without atrial cavity, with common atrial surface or that divided into several areas. Basalia are usually two-toothed spicules often accompanied by diactines, and other prostalia are represented by scepters. Choanosomal skeleton consists predominantly of pentactines and uncinates often 2–3 kinds) (diactines seem to be absent). Dermalia and atrialia are pinular pentactines, rarely hexactines. Hypodermal and hypoatrial skeleton consists of pentactines similar to choanosomal ones. Amphidiscs are various, usually consisting of three kinds. Microhexactines usually prevail over all their derivatives up to monactines.

ID Keys

KEY TO GENERA
(1) Body is more-or-less radially-symmetrical --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2
Body is bilaterally-symmetrical -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4

(2) Atrial areas are represented by several units separated from each other by dermalia, deprived of atrial cavity, body is elongate (columnar in shape) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Semperella
Atrialia is a common surface ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3

(3) Atrial cavity is enclosed with a sieve-plate formed by overgrown walls ----------------------------- Schulzeviella
Atrial cavity is open (sponge is cup-like with osculum) or expanded (sponge is hemispherical or spherical) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pheronema

(4) Basalia in a broad tuft, usually short; the body is evenly distributed from the lower part (deprived of even pedunculate part) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Poliopogon
Basalia in a compact tuft; the body has a well recognizable pedunculate part ------------------------------------------- 5

(5) Body is spoon-like -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Platylistrum
Body with thin marginalia flexed backwards, covering part of dermal surface; crooks (monaxones with wavy shafts and spherical distal end) are present together with common one-toothed anchors in the basalia -----Sericolophus

Diagnosis References

Tabachnick, K. & Menshenina, L. L. 2002. Family Pheronematidae Gray, 1870. pp. 1267-1280 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. [1267]

General References

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.

Reiswig, H.M. 1992. First Hexactinellida (Porifera) (glass sponges) from the Great Australian Bight. Records of the South Australian Museum (Adelaide) 26: 25-36

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