Gray, 1867
Definition: Encrusting, massive, cup-shaped and branching sponges, including the commercial bath-sponges. Surface is typically conulose and may have a distinct sand cortex. Texture is compressible, fibrous, resilient except where heavily sand encrusted, and the interior is rough to touch reflecting the density of spongin skeleton in relation to soft tissue. Choanosomal skeleton consists of reticulate spongin fibres, usually organised into a hierarchy of sizes: the primary elements are reduced in some genera and completely absent in one. Fibres are homogenous in cross section, showing no tendency to fracture around planes of concentric lamination, lacking a central pith but often incorporating detritus and foreign spicules into the spongin skeleton. Choanocyte chambers are small and diplodal, varying from 20 to 40 µm in diameter; collagen fibrils are not present in abundance in the mesohyl. (Spongia officinalis large) (Spongia officinalis fibres) (Spongia tubulifera) (Hippospongia sp.)
Remarks: 20 nominal genera are presently included in the family, of which 11 are currently recognised. Review: Bergquist (1980).
Source: Hooper's Internet Sponge Guide.
Genera represented in the area:
Coscinoderma Carter, 1883 (type species Spongia pesleonis Lamarck, 1814): flabellate, pyriform, massive or pedunculate, with apical or marginal oscules; surface with sand armour, but texture soft, spongy and extremely compressible; primary fibres cored and secondary elements clear, extremely fine, numerous and intertwined ("whorls
of wool"). Reference:Bergquist, 1980; Voultsiadou et al., 1991.
Hippospongia Schulze, 1879 (type species: Spongia communis Lamarck, 1814) (syn. Aphrodite Lendenfeld, 1885; Ceratodendron Marshall, 1878; Hippiospongia de Laubenfels, 1936): surface finely conulose, darkly pigmented, but not armoured; fibre network highly developed and characterised by the almost complete absence of primary cored fibres, which occur only near the surface; tangled secondary fibre network forms most of the skeleton, which is supple and elastic; subsurface region prominently cavernous (Bergquist, 1980).
Spongia Linnaeus, 1759 (type species S . officinalis Linnaeus, 1759) (syn. Ditela Schmidt, 1862; Euspongia Bronn, 1859): massive, spherical, lamellate or cup-shaped sponges. Texture is springy, very compressible, supple, elastic; surface never armoured, but covered with low even conules and frequently pigmented black, brown or grey (offset from white or beige interior). Primary fibres are reduced in number; secondary fibres are a highly developed network of fine, intertwined fibres making up bulk of skeleton; primary fibres contain central axis of foreign material and most are found near surface of skeleton; secondary fibres with no detritus. Reference: Bergquist, 1980.
Species included:
Spongia agaricina
Spongia nitens
Spongia officinalis
Spongia virgultosa
Species not included:
Coscinoderma confragosum Polejaeff, 1884, off Portugal, deep water.
Hippospongia communis (Lamarck, 1814), NW Spain, deep water