Subfamily Rossellinae Schulze, 1885

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Diagnosis

Two genera previously assigned to Caulophacidae, Caulophacella and Caulophacus, and two subgenera of the latter, Caulophacus and Caulodiscus, are included in Rossellinae. These genera seem to be close to another pedunculate genus of Rossellinae, Crateromorpha with five subgenera. These pedunculate Rossellinae are also similar in the type of dermal and atrial spicules. In Crateromorpha dermalia and atrialia are chiefly pentactines; in Caulophacus and Calycosylva they are pentactines and hexactines with pinular unpaired ray directed outside the body. Atrialia in other Rossellinae are mainly hexactines. It is probable that the pedunculate Rossellinae might be incorporated into a separate subfamily in the future. Aulochone is considered here to be a subgenus of Crateromorpha as well as two newly described subgenera of Crateromorpha. The genus Scolymastra is considered to be a subgenus of Anoxycalyx.

ID Keys

KEY TO GENERA AND SUBGENERA OF ROSSELLINAE
(1) Pedunculate (peduncle is long and thin – at least several times longer than body in any direction) -------------- 2
Saccular, basiphytose, lophophytose, sometimes with rhizoidal processes (deprived of peduncle) ------------------- 9

(2) Dermalia and atrialia are chiefly pentactines with unpaired ray directed inside the body ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crateromorpha ----- 3
Dermalia and atrialia are pentactines and hexactines with pinular unpaired ray directed outside the body ---------- 7

(3) All microscleres have oxyoidal terminations ------------------------------------ Crateromorpha (Craterochone)
Microscleres have other types of terminations, besides oxyoidal: discoidal and onychoidal---------------------------- 4

(4) Microscleres with onychoidal terminations --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5
Microscleres with onychoidal terminations are absent; microscleres are represented by hexasters, sometimes hemihexasters and microdiscohexasters --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6

(5) Microscleres with discoidal terminations absent ---------------------------------- Crateromorpha (Caledochone)
Microscleres with discoidal terminations present ---------------------------------------- Crateromorpha (Neopsacas)

(6) With hypodermal pentactines -------------------------------------------------- Crateromorpha (Crateromorpha)
Without hypodermal pentactines --------------------------------------------------------- Crateromorpha (Aulochone)

(7) All microscleres have oxyoidal terminations ------------------------------------------------------------- Caulophacella
Microscleres are discoidal, onychoidal, rarely accompanied by spicules having oxyoidal terminations -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Caulophacus --- 8

(8) Microscleres are represented by spicules with discoidal terminations ------------Caulophacus (Caulophacus)
Microscleres are represented by spicules with discoidal, onychoidal and rarely oxyoidal terminations ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Caulophacus (Caulodiscus)

(9) Dermalia are pentactines (sometimes hexactines) with the unpaired ray distally directed ------------ Asconema
Dermalia are various without distally directed ray (which if it is present is hexactine and not pentactine) --------- 10

(10) All microscleres have oxyoidal terminations (discoidal ones are absent) ------------------------------------------- 11
Microscleres have oxyoidal and discoidal terminations --------------------------------------------------------------------- 13

(11) Microscleres are represented by hexactines only (rarely their derivatives with reduced numbers of rays); tangential rays of hypodermal pentactines are spiny ----------------------------------------------------------- Aphorme
Microscleres are represented by combinations of hexasters, hemihexasters and sometimes hexactines; tangential rays of hypodermal pentactactines are smooth or rough-------------------------------------------------------------------12

(12) Pappocomes are present among other oxyoidal microscleres which sometimes have spiny secondary rays ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Trichasterina
Pappocomes are absent; oxyoidal microscleres have smooth or rough secondary rays ----------------- Bathydorus

(13) Discohexasters are represented only by microdiscohexasters ------------------------------------------------------ 14
Discohexasters are presented by two or more types; macrodiscohexasters are always present -------------------- 17

(14) Choanosomal skeleton composed of a large number of large hexactines; microscleres are hexasters and microdiscohexasters----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Vitrollula
Large hexactines are present in the choanosomal skeleton in small numbers or they are entirely absent --------- 15

(15) Dermalia are mainly diactines; hypodermal pentactines are partly with smooth and partly with spiny tangential rays ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Schaudinnia
Dermalia are various but mainly pentactines and stauractines ------------------------------------------------------------ 16

(16) Hypodermal pentactines, if present, have tangential orthotropal (regular cross-like) rays ---------- Hyalascus
Hypodermal pentactines have paratropal tangential rays ----------------------------------------------------------- Vazella

(17) The largest discohexasters are stellate; the secondary rays are gathered in close tufts (lophoidal or calycoidal) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18
The largest discohexasters are spherical ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21

(18) The largest discohexasters are discoctasters with discoidal-tyloidal-floricoidal terminations ----- Acanthascus
The largest discohexasters are calycocomes with discoidal-tyloidal-clavate-rhopaloidal terminations -------Rossella

(19) Hypodermal pentactines absent ----------------------------------------------------- Acanthascus (Acanthascus)
Hypodermal pentactines present ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20

(20) Tangential rays of at least some hypodermal pentactines have spines ---- Acanthascus (Rhabdocalyptus)
Tangential rays of hypodermal pentactines never have spines, being smooth or rough -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Acanthascus (Staurocalyptus)

(21) The largest discohexasters have strobiloidal primary rays and secondary rays of different length; pappocomes are always present; other spicules with oxyoidal terminations may be present---------------- Anoxycalyx -------- 22
The largest discohexasters are spherical forms in which primary rays are not strobiloidal ----------------------------- 23

(22) Dermalia are stauractines and pentactines -------------------------------------------- Anoxycalyx (Anoxycalyx)
Dermalia are mainly hexactines -------------------------------------------------------------- Anoxycalyx (Scolymastra)

(23) The largest spherical discohexasters or discasters have numerous secondary rays ---------------- Aulosaccus
The largest spherical discohexasters have usual shape with restricted number of secondary rays ---- Scyphidium

Diagnosis References

Tabachnick, K. 2002. Family Rossellidae Schulze, 1885. pp. 1441-1505 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. [1443]

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