Cladorhizidae Dendy, 1922 Cladorhizeae Dendy 1922
- Dataset
- Carnivorous sponges from the Australian Bathyal and Abyssal zones collected during the RV Investigator 2017 Expedition
- Rank
- FAMILY
Classification
- kingdom
- Animalia
- phylum
- Porifera
- class
- Demospongiae
- order
- Poecilosclerida
- family
- Cladorhizidae
diagnosis
Diagnosis. Carnivorous sponges adapted to feeding on small, typically crustacean, prey. Adaptations to carnivory include partial or complete reduction of the aquiferous system, erect habit with radiating processes with either a basal disc or root (rhizoid) processes for anchoring in soft sediment. Axial or abaxial skeleton composed of monactinal or diactinal megascleres, from which extend extra-axial branches. Microscleres include palmate, arcuate and anchorate (an) isochelae and their derivatives, including placochelae and cercichelae; sigmas, forceps or micro (subtylo) styles (microspined, and also spear-shaped in a few cases), and trochirhabds (from Hestetun et al. 2016 b). Type species. Cladorhiza abyssicola Sars, 1872: 65.
discussion
Remarks. Nine genera (Abyssocladia Lévi, 1964, Asbestopluma Topsent, 1901, Cercicladia Rios et al., 2011, Chondrocladia Thomson, 1873, Cladorhiza Sars, 1872, Euchelipluma Topsent, 1909, Koltunicladia Hestetun et al., 2016 a, Lollipocladia Vacelet, 2008, Lycopodina Lundbeck, 1905) and five subgenera are currently recognised in the family (Asbestopluma (Asbestopluma) Topsent, 1901, Asbestopluma (Helophloeina) Topsent, 1929, Chondrocladia (Chondrocladia) Thomson, 1873, Chondrocladia (Meliiderma) Ridley & Dendy, 1887, Chondrocladia (Symmetrocladia) Lee et al., 2012) (Van Soest et al., 2019).