Family Raspailiidae Hentschel, 1923

Abstract

Raspailiidae Hentschel (Demospongiae, Poecilosclerida), including Euryponidae Topsent, contains 60 nominal genera of which 19 are valid (one incertae sedis), with 7 subgenera, and approximately 270 named species worldwide, mainly from shallow waters and a few from abyssal depths. Species have a typically hispid surface, with genera differentiated mainly on the basis of three morphological characters: skeletal architecture ranging from axial compression to reticulate, plumo-reticulate or plumose skeletons; the presence or absence of a specialized ectosomal skeleton (apomorphic for the family, whereby small ectosomal megascleres form bouquets surrounding the longer choanosomal or subectosomal megascleres that penetrate the surface); and geometric modifications to echinating megascleres (with about 15 distinct morphologies recognised). Five new subfamilies are established, based on geometry of echinating megascleres and skeletal structure.