Genus Stellitethya Sarà, 1994

Museums

Regional Maps

• Stellitethya Sarà, M. 1994. A rearrangement of the family Tethyidae (Porifera, Hadromerida) with establishment of new genera and description of two new species. Journal of the Linnean Society of London, Zoology 110(4): 355-371 [362].

  Type species:

   Donatia extensa Hentschel, 1909 by original designation.

Distribution

States

Western Australia

IBRA and IMCRA regions

IMCRA

Northwest Shelf Province (27), Central Western Shelf Transition (28), Central Western Shelf Province (29), Northwest Province (4), Central Western Transition (5)

Diagnosis

Tethyidae with a body of large size and irregularly massive shape, sometimes subspherical, frequently thick encrusting. Without distinct cortex. Megascleres styles or strongyloxeas (fusiform styles), vertically crossing the sponge in parallel bundles and ending in large flattened tubercles at the surface. Megasters represented by oxyspherasters, filling the whole sponge, heterogeneous in size, and including giant spicules (more than 150um in diameter and reaching 500um in two species). Micrasters usually represented by tylasters.

ID Keys

See Family Tethyidae Diagnosis.

Diagnosis References

Sarà, M. 2002. Family Tethyidae Gray, 1848. pp. 245-267 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. [258]

History of changes