The composition of four recent siliceous marine sponge spicules was studied and compared. In particular, multinuclear (29Si, 13C, 31P) solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) allowed the characterization of both the mineral and organic constituents in a non-destructive manner. The silica network condensation was similar for all samples. The organic matter showed a similar pattern but varie...

Demosponges of the genus Halichondria Fleming (1828) are common in coastal marine ecosystems worldwide and have been well-studied over last decades. As ecologically important filter feeders, species represent potentially suitable model organisms to link fill existing knowledge gaps sponge biology, providing novel insights into physiology evolution holobiont. Here we review studies on morphology...

Sponge remains have been identified in the Early Vendian Doushantuo phosphate deposit in central Guizhou (South China), which has an age of approximately 580 million years ago. Their skeletons consist of siliceous, monaxonal spicules. All are referred to as the Porifera, class Demospongiae. Preserved soft tissues include the epidermis, porocytes, amoebocytes, sclerocytes, and spongocoel. Among ...

We report and describe material of Clathria (Clathria) (Poecilosclerida: Microcionina: Microcionidae) collected from the coast of Brazil: Clathria (C.) nicoleae sp. nov., Clathria (C.) calypso and Clathria (C.) prolifera. Clathria (C.) calypso is also redescribed. Specimens previously recorded from Brazil as Clathria (C.) prolifera were considered to fit better in the taxon Clathria (Wilsonella...

The present synthesis focuses on the so called 'horny sponges' recorded from marine caves of the Mediterranean Sea. The main aim is to provide a list of all recorded species, diagnostic keys to their identification up to family and genus level, and exhaustive, formally uniform descriptions at the species level contributing to sharing of information on the faunistics and taxonomy of Mediterranea...

The subgenus Clathria (Thalysias) Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864 has 97 valid species, of which 27 are recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. However, only three species are known from Brazil so far. Here we provide the redescription of Clathria (Thalysias) basiarenacea (Boury- Esnault, 1973), based on the discovery of new characters (additional category of auxiliary styles, and details of spicules), ...

Interest in cladorhizid sponges has grown rapidly in the past 19 years since a unique feeding strategy, carnivory, was described by Vacelet and Boury-Esnault in 1995. Since that time, 31% of the 133 extant cladorhizids have been described. Previously, seven species of cladorhizid sponges were known from the Northeast Pacific. Here we describe four additional species, including two species of As...

Extensive surveys of the biodiversity on the seafloor of the inter-reef regions of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, have resulted in the collection of large numbers of sponges, many of which are likely new to science. Identification of these sponges, however, was made difficult by the absence in some specimens of key diagnostic characters, such as megascleres. We used an integrated approach t...