Genus Spheciospongia Marshall, 1892

Museums

Regional Maps

• Spheciospongia Marshall, W. 1892. Spongiologische Beiträge. Festschrift zur 70. Wiederkehr des Geburtstages von Rudolf Leuckart. Leipzig : C.F. Winter 36 pp. 8 pls. [32].

  Type species:

   Alcyonium vesparium Lamarck, 1815 by original designation.

Distribution

States

New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia

IBRA and IMCRA regions

IMCRA

Timor Transition (1), Christmas Island Province (23), Northern Shelf Province (25), Northwest Shelf Province (27), Central Western Shelf Transition (28), Central Western Shelf Province (29), Southwest Shelf Transition (30), Southwest Shelf Province (31), Great Australian Bight Shelf Transition (32), Spencer Gulf Shelf Province (33), Western Bass Strait Shelf Transition (34), Bass Strait Shelf Province (35), Tasmanian Shelf Province (36), Southeast Shelf Transition (37), Central Eastern Shelf Province (38), Central Eastern Shelf Transition (39), Northwest Province (4), Northeast Shelf Province (40), Northeast Shelf Transition (41)

Other Regions

Torres Strait Islands terrestrial, marine & freshwater

Diagnosis

Large-growing sponges with cribiporal chones (pore sieves) and simple, multiple, or septate oscula. In the ectosome, numerous robust tylostyles forming a dense tangental network and rare, minute spirasters and spiraster-derived amphiasters; the latter are also located in the canal linings. In the choanosome, tylostyles occur densely scattered and in strands. Tylostyles may be modified to styles, tylostrongyles, and strongyles. Sponges excavate limestone in early growth stage, forming large, tissuefilled cavities, not a series of distinct chambers as do other
clionaids.

Diagnosis References

Rützler, K. 2002. Family Clionaidae D'Orbigny, 1851. pp. 173-185 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. [181]

History of changes