Abstract
Homosclerophorida Dendy (Demospongiae, Homoscleromorpha) contains a single family Plakinidae Schulze (including Oscarellidae Lendenfeld and Corticiidae Vosmaer), with seven valid genera and about 60 valid species worldwide. Species live mainly in shallow waters but a few have been recorded from abyssal depths (up to 2460m). Species are often encrusting, lobate, but massive species are common in some genera (Plakortis, Plakinastrella); surface is usually smooth or microhispid and consistency varies from soft to cartilaginous. All genera possess flagellated exo- and endopinacocytes, a basement membrane lining both choanoderm and pinacoderm, oval to spherical choanocyte chambers with a sylleibid-like or leuconoid organization, and a unique incubated cinctoblastula-type larvae; spicules, when present, are peculiar tetractines (calthrops) and derivatives. Genera are distinguished mainly by four morphological characters: presence of a siliceous skeleton; presence of a cortex associated with a leuconoid aquiferous system and well-developed mesohyl or a sylleibid aquiferous system with poorly developed mesohyl and ectosome; number of spicule size classes; and presence and type of ramifications in the actines of calthrops (tetractinal spicules), with three distinct general morphologies recognized.
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© 2002 Kluwer Academic / Plenum Publishers, New York
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Muricy, G., Díaz, M.C. (2002). Order Homosclerophorida Dendy, 1905, Family Plakinidae Schulze, 1880. In: Hooper, J.N.A., Van Soest, R.W.M., Willenz, P. (eds) Systema Porifera. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0747-5_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0747-5_6
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-0-306-47260-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-0747-5
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