Family SPONGIIDAE Gray, 1867

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Diagnosis

The six genera of the Spongiidae present a wide variety of forms, from low and encrusting to upright and massive. They all have a well-developed skeleton of primary and secondary fibres, and in a group of species from Australasia, distinct fine secondary or pseudo-tertiary fibres. Some species of Hyattella and Spongia may also have a superficial fibre net supporting the pinacoderm. All fibres are unpithed and are homogeneous, i.e., they show little or no sign of disjunct concentric laminations within the fibres, unlike members of the Thorectidae, Irciniidae and Dysideidae. However, it is possible to mistake stress marks within fibres, particularly at fibre intersections or corners, for laminations or lines of disjunction. Primary fibres may be sparse and are rare in one genus. Most characteristic of spongiids is the dense, secondary-fibre reticulum that dominates the skeleton. The surface may be heavily armoured with an organised dermal crust of sand, foreign spicules and detritus. Unarmoured genera usually have a conulose surface. The texture of the interior is rough to the touch, reflecting the density of spongin skeleton in relation to that of soft tissue. The whole body is compressible and resilient except where the surface is heavily sand-encrusted. Choanocyte chambers of spongiids are diplodal, and spherical to oval in shape. In some species, the mesohyl and ectosome are supported by heavy deposits of collagen, though this can vary, even between species within the same genus.

ID Keys

KEY TO GENERA

(1)Surface armoured ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2
Surface unarmoured ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3

(2)Dense secondary skeleton of thick, branching secondary fibres -------------------------------------------- Leiosella
Dense secondary skeleton of very fine, intertwined secondary fibres ---------------------------------- Coscinoderma

(3)Sponge body or ectoderm lacunose ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4
Sponge not lacunose -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5

(4)Primary fibres common ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hyattella
Primary fibres uncommon to rare --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hippospongia

(5)Primary fibres form long, simple fascicles -------------------------------------------------------------------- Rhopaloeides
Primary fibres are simple, not forming fascicles ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Spongia

Diagnosis References

Cook, S.D.C. & Bergquist, P.R. 2002. Family Spongiidae Gray, 1867. pp. 1051-1060 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. [1051]

General References

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

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.

Cook, S.D.C. & Bergquist, P.R. 2002. Family Spongiidae Gray, 1867. pp. 1051-1060 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.

Vacelet, J. 1959. Répartition générale des Eponges et systématique des Eponges cornées de la région de Marseille et de quelques stations méditerranéennes. Recueil des Travaux de la Station Marine d'Endoume. Marseille 26: 39-101 pls 1-3

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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