''Homaxinella'' is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of
sea sponge
Sponges or sea sponges are primarily marine invertebrates of the animal phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), a basal clade and a sister taxon of the diploblasts. They are sessile filter feeders that are bound to the seabed, and are o ...
s in the
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Suberitidae
Suberitidae is a family of sea sponges belonging to the order Suberitida. Genera
*''Aaptos''
*''Caulospongia''
*''Homaxinella''
*''Pseudospongosorites''
*''Rhizaxinella''
*''Suberites''
References
Suberitidae,
Sponge families
{{demos ...
. The
type species
In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...
is ''
Homaxinella balfourensis''.
Description
''Homaxinella'' was originally included in the sponge family
Axinellidae
Axinellidae is a family of sponges in the order Axinellida.
This family includes some photo-synthetic sponges that occur throughout the world's coral reefs. They are amongst the more common sponges seen in the aquarium trade but are usually not ...
but the structure of the skeleton shows that it lacks a reticulation and has bundles of calcareous
spicule
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 ( ...
s at the surface which led to its inclusion in Suberitidae.
[ The members of the genus are rooted to the ]substrate
Substrate may refer to:
Physical layers
*Substrate (biology), the natural environment in which an organism lives, or the surface or medium on which an organism grows or is attached
** Substrate (aquatic environment), the earthy material that exi ...
and have stalks, a much branched habit of growth and an axially condensed choanosomal
A choanosome is an inner region of a sponge, supported on the choanoskeleton, the structure that contains the choanocytes.
See also
* Choanoderm
The choanoderm is a type of cell layer composed of flagellated collar cells, or choanocytes, f ...
skeleton. They have an extra-axial skeleton of bundles of megascleres which are exclusively styles, and a profusion of further incoherently arranged styles, in a wide range of sizes. There are no microscleres.[
]
Species
The World Porifera Database recognises the following species:[
*'' Homaxinella amphispicula'' (de Laubenfels, 1961)
*'' Homaxinella balfourensis'' (Ridley & Dendy, 1886)
*'' Homaxinella brevistyla'' Hoshino, 1981
*'' Homaxinella ensifera'' (Lamarck, 1815)
*'' Homaxinella erecta'' (Brøndsted, 1924)
*'' Homaxinella flagelliformis'' (Ridley & Dendy, 1886)
*'' Homaxinella infundibula'' Tanita & Hoshino, 1989
*'' Homaxinella ramosimassa'' Tanita & Hoshino, 1989
*'' Homaxinella subdola'' (Bowerbank, 1866)
*'' Homaxinella tanitai'' Hoshino, 1981
]
References
Suberitidae
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