| Abyssocladia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Two undescribed species of Abyssocladia | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Porifera |
| Class: | Demospongiae |
| Order: | Poecilosclerida |
| Family: | Cladorhizidae |
| Genus: | Abyssocladia Lévi, 1964 |
Abyssocladia is a genus of the family Cladorhizidae, a family of carnivorous sponges. It is made up of at least 39 species found in oceans all over the world.
This genus is characterized by its unique teeth-like structures called abyssochelae, although they are not present in every species. Types of microscleres could also include cleistochelae, arcute chelae, and/or sigmacistras. [1] Their general morphology can be divided into two groups. The first group has a long peduncle and round top. The second group is feather-like with a shorter peduncle. [2] Both groups have straight spicules and are covered in a layer of soft tissue with sticky microstrongyles protruding perpendicularly from the body, used to capture prey. [1] Sizes of these organisms can vary from a few millimeters to several centimeters tall and just a few millimeters wide. Their thin skeleton and soft tissue can make these sponges very fragile. [3]
Most carnivorous sponges lack an aquiferous system, meaning they cannot filter water to get their food. Instead, they have hook-like microscleres to capture prey, like small crustaceans. [4] These structures entangle prey and amoebocytes in the sponge surround the prey, bringing it inside to be consumed. Digestion of its prey can take up to several days. [1] This unusual process of feeding was likely adapted because it is easier for the organism to get more nutrients in one meal as compared to filter feeding in the deep sea. [ citation needed ]
In the deep sea, resources are sparse, so organisms tend to have clustered distribution. These carnivorous sponges are usually found around nutrient hot spots like seamounts, and oceanic ridges. [5] While most species in abyssocladia have been found at depths over 3000 meters, a few have been found in shallower waters around 1000m. [6] One species, A. antarctica, was found at 220 m, in the Weddel Sea off the coast of Antarctica. [7] In addition to the Weddel Sea, Abyssocladia have been found in many ocean basins all over the world, including the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans.
About 39 species are currently recognized: [8]
Demosponges (Demospongiae) are the most diverse class in the phylum Porifera. They include greater than 90% of all species of sponges with nearly 8,800 species worldwide. They are sponges with a soft body that covers a hard, often massive skeleton made of calcium carbonate, either aragonite or calcite. They are predominantly leuconoid in structure. Their "skeletons" are made of spicules consisting of fibers of the protein spongin, the mineral silica, or both. Where spicules of silica are present, they have a different shape from those in the otherwise similar glass sponges. Some species, in particular from the Antarctic, obtain the silica for spicule building from the ingestion of siliceous diatoms.
Cladorhiza is a genus of carnivorous sponges, comprising around 40 species found in oceans around the world. Cladorhiza is the type genus of the family Cladorhizidae.
Chondrocladia is a genus of carnivorous demosponges of the family Cladorhizidae. Neocladia was long considered a junior synonym, but has recently become accepted as a distinct genus.
Poecilosclerida is an order of the demosponge class. It is the most speciose demosponge order with over 2200 species. It contains about 25 recognised families. They are characterised by having chelae microscleres, that is, the minute spicules scattered through the tissues, usually in the 10-60 μm range, have a shovel-like structure on the end.
Homaxinella is a genus of sea sponges in the family Suberitidae. The type species is Homaxinella balfourensis.
Cladorhizidae is a family of carnivorous demosponges found in deep-sea environments worldwide. These sponges are known for their unique feeding structures and predatory behavior, as they capture and consume small animals such as crustaceans.
Cladorhiza caillieti is a carnivorous sponge of the family Cladorhizidae described in 2014 from specimens collected from the Juan de Fuca Ridge off the coast of Vancouver Island. It feeds on small crustaceans such as amphipods and copepods. C. caillieti is an elongate, bottlebrush-shaped sponge with filaments projecting from a main stem, and ranges from 7 to 9 cm in height. The specific epithet honors Dr. Gregor M. Cailliet of the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories.
Clathrina arnesenae is a species of calcareous sponge from the Atlantic Ocean. It is named after Norwegian spongiologist Emily Arnesen (1867–1928).
Rossellidae is a family of glass sponges belonging to the order Lyssacinosa. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution and is found at a large range of depths.
Axoniderma is a genus of carnivorous demosponges in the family Cladorhizidae.
Nicole Boury-Esnault is a retired French researcher of sponges, formerly at Centre d'Océanologie de Marseille, Aix-Marseille University.
Jean Vacelet is a French marine biologist who specialises in the underwater fauna of the Mediterranean. After earning his licence at the Faculté des Sciences de Marseille and learning to dive in 1954, he specialised in the study of sponges at the Marine station of Endoume, and there he has stayed faithful to both sponges and place for more than half a century. His research has included all aspects of sponges: taxonomy, habitat, biology, anatomy, their bacterial associations, and their place in the evolution of multi-celled animals. He has studied them not only in the Mediterranean but in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. Exploration of underwater grottoes, together with Jacques Laborel and Jo Hamelin, revealed the existence of sponges dating from very ancient geological periods and the unexpected existence of carnivorous sponges, and surprisingly, the grottoes in some ways mimicked life at much greater depths.
Michelle Kelly, also known as Michelle Kelly-Borges, is a New Zealand scientist who specialises in sponges, their chemistry, their evolution, taxonomy, systematics, and ecology.
Axoniderma australis is a species of demosponge in the family Cladorhizidae. It is known from type specimens found off the coasts of Tasmania and New South Wales.
Axoniderma poritea is a species of demosponge in the family Cladorhizidae. It is known from type specimens found on the east coast of Australia.
Axoniderma kensmithi is a species of demosponge in the family Cladorhizidae. It is known from type specimens found in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California.
Axoniderma mexicana is a species of demosponge in the family Cladorhizidae. It is known from type specimens found around Mexico.
Caulophacus discohexactinus is a species of glass sponges belonging to the subfamily Lanuginellinae. It is known from a type specimen found in the Weddell Sea. The specific epithet was given to refer to the discohexactine shape of the species' microscleres.
Caulophacus weddelli is a species of glass sponges belonging to the subfamily Lanuginellinae. It is the only species in the subgenus Oxydiscus. It is known from a type specimen found in the Weddell Sea, which lends its name to the specific epithet weddelli.
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