Clathrinidae Minchin, 1900

Family Clathrinidae Minchin, 1900 View in CoL

Remarks. This family unites the Clathrinida species with an asconoid aquiferous system with simple unfolded choanoderm. Most species have a cormus consisting of a network of thin-walled tubes lined by an unstructured layer of mostly small triactines and/or tetractines, with occasional presence of diactines. The family was recently revised using molecular sequence data ( Klautau et al. 2013). This resulted in the erection of new genera subdividing the former genus Clathrina Gray, 1867 s.l., some of which appeared to be affiliated to other families of the Clathrinida . The present classification into genera Clathrina s.s., Ernstia Klautau et al., 2013 , Arthuria Klautau et al., 2013 , Borojevia Klautau et al., 2013 , Brattegardia Klautau et al., 2013 , and a restricted Guancha Miklucho-Maclay, 1868 , appears not yet fully operational for classifying former Clathrina s.l. specimens because it is based primarily on molecular analysis. Some former Clathrina species, are now assigned to Ascaltis Haeckel, 1872 (family Leucascidae ). These changes mean in practice that Clathrina -like new species in this group cannot be easily assigned to their proper genus unless sequence data are available, excepting Clathrina s.s., which remain morphologically recognizable. Morphological differences of the various genera, such as proportion of triactines and tetractines, or clathroid versus loosely anastomosed tubules, appear to be rather overlapping and not precise. We will give informal diagnoses of the genera based on our perception of their variability. These diagnoses should not be considered as formal definitions. For the classification of the known species we follow here the World Porifera Database (Klautau in Van Soest et al. 2014), but for the new species the assignment to genera is tentative.

According to the molecular analysis of Klautau et al. (2013), Ascandra Haeckel, 1872 - in the Systema Porifera assigned to family Leucaltidae Dendy & Row, 1913 - is very probably also a member of Clathrinidae . Nevertheless, we here continue to assign it to Leucaltidae .

Genus Clathrina Gray, 1867 sensu Klautau, Azevedo, Cóndor-Luján, Rapp, Collins & Russo, 2013

Clathrinidae with a cormus of anastomosed tubes, asconoid aquiferous system, and lacking tetractine spicules (after Klautau et al. 2013).