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Bolosoma stalked glass sponge. Hexactinellid sponges are sponges with a skeleton made of four- and/or six-pointed siliceous spicules, often referred to as glass sponges.They are usually classified along with other sponges in the phylum Porifera, but some researchers consider them sufficiently distinct to deserve their own phylum, Symplasma.
Euplectella is a genus of glass sponges which includes the well-known Venus' Flower Basket. Glass sponges have a skeleton [ 2 ] made up of silica spicules that can form geometric patterns. These animals are most commonly found on muddy sea bottoms in the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans. [ 3 ]
The specimens live at a depth of 800–1,000 m [23]. In this region, the sponge occurs at a population density of 1-2 individuals per m 2. The animals reach sizes of around 1 m in length. (e) Drawings of different glass sponges (hexactinellids). [19]
The sponges are often found to house glass sponge shrimp, usually a breeding pair, who are typically unable to exit the sponge's lattice due to their size. Consequently, they live in and around these sponges, where the shrimp perform a mutualistic relationship with the sponge until they die. The shrimp live and mate in the shelter that the ...
Sponges were traditionally distributed in three classes: calcareous sponges (Calcarea), glass sponges (Hexactinellida) and demosponges (Demospongiae). However, studies have now shown that the Homoscleromorpha , a group thought to belong to the Demospongiae , has a genetic relationship well separated from other sponge classes.
Glass sponges such as Claviscopulia are found worldwide in both hard and soft substrates and in the deeper part of the sea ranging from around 200m to more than 6000m. In some cases, glass sponges live in shallower areas like the submarine caves in Mediterranean or off the coast of British Columbia.
Hexasterophora are a subclass of glass sponges in the class Hexactinellida. Most living hexasterophorans can be divided into three orders: Lyssacinosida, Lychniscosida, and Sceptrulophora. [4] Like other glass sponges, hexasterophorans have skeletons composed of overlapping six-rayed spicules.
Amphidiscosida (sometimes spelled Amphidiscosa) [2] [3] is an order of hexactinellids (glass sponges). The Amphidiscosida are commonly regarded as the only living sponges in the subclass Amphidiscophora. [4] [5] As the name implies, the Amphidiscosida are characterized by a special type of microsclere (microscopic spicules): amphidiscs ...