Abstract
Theonellidae Lendenfeld (Demospongiae, ‘lithistids’) contains five genera and about 50 nominal species (most poorly known) occurring both in shallow and deep waters worldwide. They are polymorphic, ranging from thin encrusting to massive irregular, cylindrical, erect-branching, cup-shaped or clavate, with or without axial cavity. Theonellidae are characterized by ectosomal phyllotriaenes and/or discotriaenes, choanosomal tetraclones and microscleres as acanthorhabds to pseudospherasters and/or microxeas, and/or streptasters/ amphiasters. Genera are differentiated based on the type of ectosomal spicules and microscleres, as well as habitus. This family is basically Recent, but it corresponds to the family Discodermiidae Schrammen of paleontologists, which has numerous genera known since the Cretaceous, and is here considered as a junior synonym of Theonellidae.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2002 Kluwer Academic / Plenum Publishers, New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Pisera, A., Lévi, C. (2002). Family Theonellidae Lendenfeld, 1903. In: Hooper, J.N.A., Van Soest, R.W.M., Willenz, P. (eds) Systema Porifera. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0747-5_37
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0747-5_37
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-0-306-47260-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-0747-5
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive