''Agelas'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
of
sea sponge
Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a basal animal clade as a sister of the diploblasts. They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate throug ...
in the class
Demospongiae
Demosponges (Demospongiae) are the most diverse class in the phylum Porifera. They include 76.2% of all species of sponges with nearly 8,800 species worldwide (World Porifera Database). They are sponges with a soft body that covers a hard, ...
.
Ecology and distribution
Members of this genus are
filter feeder
Filter feeders are a sub-group of suspension feeding animals that feed by straining suspended matter and food particles from water, typically by passing the water over a specialized filtering structure. Some animals that use this method of feedin ...
s.
[ and occur in the West Indies, the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean in shallow tropical and subtropical waters]
Spicules
Some authorities report that the spongin fibres contain no coring spicules
Spicules are any of various small needle-like anatomical structures occurring in organisms
Spicule may also refer to:
* Spicule (sponge), small skeletal elements of sea sponges
* Spicule (nematode), reproductive structures found in male nematodes ...
while others report that there are some of variable length.[
]
Species
The World Register of Marine Species includes the following species in the genus:[
]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2826531
Agelasida
Sponge genera