Homosclerophorida is an order of marine sponges. It is the only order in the monotypic class Homoscleromorpha. The order is composed of two families: Plakinidae and Oscarellidae.
Lyssacinosida is an order of glass sponges (Hexactinellida) belonging to the subclass Hexasterophora. These sponges can be recognized by their parenchymal spicules usually being unconnected, unlike in other sponges in the subclass where the spicules form a more or less tightly connected skeleton. Lyssacine sponges have existed since the Upper Ordovician, and three families are still alive today. The Venus' flower basket is one of the most well-known and culturally significant of the glass sponges.
Ascandra izuensis is a species of sea sponge in the family Clathrinidae. The species is named after the Izu peninsula where the holotype was collected.
Thoosa is a genus of sea sponges in the family Thoosidae. This genus is known for boring holes in corals. It contains sixteen described species.
Racekiela ryderi is a species of freshwater sponge in the family Spongillidae. It was first described by Edward Potts in 1882. It was collected on Sable Island in 1899 by John Macoun, a biologist with the Geological Survey of Canada, and given the name Heteromeyenia macouni by A.H. Mackay in 1900. It was originally assumed to be endemic to Sable Island but is now considered to be the same species as Racekiela ryderi, which is more broadly distributed.
Pseudospongosorites is a genus of sea sponges belonging to the family Suberitidae. Currently, the genus is considered as monotypic, consisting of a single species Pseudospongosorites suberitoides. It is found in the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and on the Atlantic coast of the United States as far north as North Carolina. This species is known by the common name Florida hermit crab sponge, so named because hermit crabs often use it as shelter.
Homaxinella is a genus of sea sponges in the family Suberitidae. The type species is Homaxinella balfourensis.
Guancha apicalis was thought to be a species of calcareous sponge in the genus Guancha from Antarctica. It actually never existed.
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.
Staurocalyptus is a genus of sponge. It was circumscribed in 1897 by Isao Ijima.
Anheteromeyenia is a genus of freshwater sponge. It has been recorded in the Nearctic, the Neotropics. This taxon was initially a subgenus of Heteromeyenia when K. Schöder circumscribed it in 1927, but W. M. de Laubenfels made it a genus in its own right in 1936.
Bolosoma is a genus of pedunculated siliceous sponges belonging to the family Euplectellidae. This genus lives in deep-sea environments and provides a habitat for a plethora of other benthic species, giving Bolosoma an incredibly important ecological role in the ecosystems it is a part of.
Pipestela is a genus of sponges belonging to the family Axinellidae. The species of this genus are found in Australian waters, New Guinea and other countries to the north of Australia.
Pipestela candelabra is a species of sponge belonging to the family Axinellidae.
Pipestela rara is a species of sponge belonging to the family Axinellidae.
Pipestela occidentalis is a species of sponge belonging to the family Axinellidae.
Advhena is a monotypic genus of glass sponges in the family Euplectellidae. It contains the single species Advhena magnifica, also known as the E.T. sponge, after the titular character in the film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
Euplectella gibbsa is a species of glass sponge in the family Euplectellidae. It has been found in the North Atlantic Ocean.
Euplectella paratetractina is a species of glass sponge in the family Euplectellidae. It has been found in waters off the coast of Australia.
