Sponges or sea sponges are members of the metazoan phylum Porifera, a basal animal clade and a sister taxon of the diploblasts. They are sessile filter feeders that are bound to the seabed, and are one of the most ancient members of macrobenthos, with many historical species being important reef-building organisms.
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.
Plakinidae is a family of marine sponges. It is composed of seven genera:
Oscarella carmela, commonly known as the slime sponge, is a species of sponge in the order Homosclerophorida that was first described in 2004 by G. Muricy and J.S. Pearse. It is believed to be native to intertidal waters in the north east temperate Pacific Ocean and was first found in seawater aquaria in that region. It is used as a model organism in evolutionary biology.
Arturia is a genus of calcareous sponge in the family Clathrinidae which contains 14 species. It is named after Arthur Dendy, a prominent researcher of calcareous sponges. It was renamed Arturia in 2017 because the name Arthuria was already assigned to a genus of molluscs.
Corticium diamantense is a species of sea sponge in the order Homosclerophorida, first found in vertical walls of reef caves at depths of about 23 to 28 metres in the Caribbean Sea. This species has oscula situated near its border; regular non-lophose calthrops of one size, rare tetralophose calthrops and candelabra, the fourth actine of which is basally ramified into 4 or 5 microspined rays.
Plakortis dariae is a species of sea sponge in the order Homosclerophorida, first found in vertical walls of reef caves at depths of about 23 to 28 metres in the Caribbean Sea. This species has diods of two different categories: it possesses large ones and small, rare, irregular, curved ones, which are often deformed with one of its ends being blunt ; triods are rare and regular.
Plakortis edwardsi is a species of sea sponge in the order Homosclerophorida, first found in vertical walls of reef caves at depths of about 23 to 28 metres in the Caribbean Sea. This species has diods of a single category, with thick and S-shaped centres ; triods which are T-shaped. It is the only species of this genus exhibiting small diods.
Plakortis myrae is a species of sea sponge in the order Homosclerophorida, first found in vertical walls of reef caves at depths of about 23 to 28 metres in the Caribbean Sea. This species has diods of two categories: large ones which are abundant, and rare small ones with S-shaped centres; triods which are Y- or T-shaped, and possesses abundant microrhabds.
Geodia megastrella is a species of sponge in the family Geodiidae. It is a type of demosponge found in the deep temperate waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. It has characteristic stellar-shaped large spicules coined 'megastrellum', hence its name. The species was first described by Henry John Carter in 1876, after dredging it up aboard H.M.S. 'Porcupine', near the Cape St. Vincent in Portugal.
Plakortis is a genus of marine sponges in the order Homosclerophorida, first described by Franz Eilhard Schulze in 1880.
Plakortis bergquistae is a species of marine sponge in the order Homosclerophorida, first described in 2011 by Guilherme Muricy. The species epithet, bergquistae, honours Patricia Bergquist.
Plakortis communis is a species of marine sponge in the order Homosclerophorida, first described in 2011 by Guilherme Muricy.
Guilherme Muricy is a Brazilian invertebrate zoologist, and Professor of Invertebrate Zoology at the National Museum of Brazil. He is a specialist in sponges and has written over 100 papers on the chemistry, the taxonomy of sponges, and the descriptions of many new sponge species.
Plakortis fromontae is a species of marine sponge in the order Homosclerophorida, first described in 2011 by Guilherme Muricy. The species epithet, fromontae, honours Jane Fromont.
Plakortis hooperi is a species of marine sponge in the order Homosclerophorida, first described in 2011 by Guilherme Muricy. The species epithet, hooperi, honours John Hooper, an Australian sponge specialist.
Plakortis insularis is a species of marine sponge in the order Homosclerophorida, first described in 2003 by Moraes and Guilherme Muricy, from specimens collected from oceanic islands off north-eastern Brazil.
Plakortis microrhabdifera is a species of marine sponge in the order Homosclerophorida, first described in 2003 by Moraes and Guilherme Muricy, from specimens collected from oceanic islands off north-eastern Brazil.
Corticium furcatum is a species of sponge in the order Homosclerophorida. It was first described in 2021, from a fragmented specimen collected at a depth of 5-7 m on the Booker Rocks in Jurien Bay.
Phyllis Jane Fromont is a New Zealand and Australian scientist specialising in sponges.
