Poecilosclerida
Appearance
Poecilosclerida | |
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Hemimycale columella (Hymedesmiidae) | |
Scientific classification | |
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Phylum: | |
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Order: | Poecilosclerida Topsent, 1928
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Suborders | |
Poecilosclerida is an order of the demosponge class. It is the most speciose demosponge order with over 2200 species (World Porifera Database[2]). It contains about 25 recognised families. They are characterised by having chelae microscleres, that is, the minute spicules scattered through the tissues, usually in the 10-60 µm range, have a shovel-like structure on the end.[3]
Most of the families are viviparous with parenchymella larvae that are uniformly ciliated, but Raspailiidae is primarily oviparous.[3]
Families
- Suborder Latrunculina
- Family Latrunculiidae
- Suborder Microcionina
- Family Acarnidae
- Family Microcionidae
- Family Raspailiidae
- Family Rhabderemiidae
- Suborder Mycalina
- Family Cladorhizidae
- Family Desmacellidae
- Family Esperiopsidae
- Family Guitarridae
- Family Hamacanthidae
- Family Isodictyidae
- Family Merliidae
- Family Mycalidae
- Family Podospongiidae
- Suborder Myxillina
- Family Chondropsidae
- Family Coelosphaeridae
- Family Crambeidae
- Family Crellidae
- Family Dendoricellidae
- Family Desmacididae
- Family Hymedesmiidae
- Family Iotrochotidae
- Family Myxillidae
- Family Phellodermidae
- Family Tedaniidae [1]
References
Wikispecies has information related to Poecilosclerida.