Phylum Porifera

Phylum	Class			Overview

Porifera	Calcarea		Grantia	Habitat: marine, in intertidal zones to depths of about 2200m Syconoid sponge (sycon grade of sponge). The incurrent canals are those which open to the exterior and mark the place where water enters via ostia. The inner portion of the sponge called the spongocoel is lined with celss called choanocytes. What is the function of these cells?
Porifera	Calcarea	Order Leucosoleniida	Leucosolenia	Habitat: On shaded sides and open undersurfaces of rocks, low intertidal zone, subtidal on rocks and boat hulls (marine). Comments: Asconoid sponge (ascon grade of sponge). Symbiotic with many species of protozoans, polychaetes, and crustaceans. More than 100 species of leucosolenia have been described worldwide. What type of spicules does this genus have?
Porifera	Calcarea	Order Leucetta		Habitat: On rock sides, in crevices , on floats and on pilings. Low intertidal to 111m (marine) collected locally Comments: Body texture crusty, surface convoluted and bearing many oscules. Oscules can be 15 mm in diameter. Spicules calcareous consisting of large and small rods pointed at both ends. Colony encrusting to about 3cm thick.
Porifera	Hexactinellida		Euplectella	Habitat: deep sponges, found at depths ranging from 100m to over 5200m (marine). "Glass Sponge" "Venus' Flower Basket" Individual sponges often harbor a single pair of shrimp, one of each sex, that enter the sponge when small and reach reproductive adulthood imprisoned together within the spongocoel. Skeletal supports composed of 6-sided spicules of silica (many spicules are fused to form long, thin, glasslike strands).
Porifera	Demospongia	Order Hadromerida	Spheciospongia	Habitat: On shaded rock surfaces and pilings, very low intertidal zone; subtidal to 26m (marine) collected locally "Gray Moon Sponge" A massive, smooth, grey sponge (leathery in texture) with numerous cratter-like oscula on the outer ridge. This sponge can grow to a thickness of 12 inches and may reach 40 inches in length. This sponge may have many commensal organisms.

asconoid	simplest body plan, radially symmetrical, one choanocyte layer, low choanocyte SA/vol therefore the smallest
syconoid	more advanced, bumpy asconoid folded body wall, choanocyte chambers (have many ostia per), increased choanocyte SA/vol therefore more water held therefore larger
leuconoid	asymmetrical body, greatly subdivided choanocyte chambers (in current canals connect), highest ratio of choanocyte SA/vol therefore largest
pinacocyte	makes epidermis (called pinacoderm)
porocyte	makes a hole
mesohyl	non living gelatinous middle layer, contains eggs, archaocytes
ostia	normally small, many, where water goes in
oscula	normally large, few, where water goes out
spongocoel	volume where water collects before it exits the oscula
radial canals
choanocyte	has a flagellum, mesh collar, food vacuoles, nuclei; food capture, sperm capture, water movement, gas exchange, waste removal; it is a protest
spicules	skeletal structures, maintain shape, discourage predators, inorganic. calcareous- CaCO3, dissolves in acid, only in Class Calcarea. siliceous- SiO3, glass-like
spongin fibers	skeletal structures, maintain shape, organic, acts as fibrous network, only in Class Demospongia
ameobocyte	ameobocyte (aka archaeocyte) the amazing cells, like sponge stem cells, morph into gametes or other cells, eliminate waste and digest & store food
sclerosponge	"coralline sponge", unusually narrow choanocyte chambers, secrete massive calcareous skeleton, leuconoid, restricted to obscure caves and crevices in coral reefs, contains CaCO3, SiO3, and sponging, either Calcarea or Demospongiae