Grantia Fleming, 1828

Genus Grantia Fleming, 1828 View in CoL

Diagnosis: “ Leucosolenida in which there is always a cortex, supported by a skeleton of tangential spicules that can be diactines, triactines, tetractines, or any combination of these. The aquiferous system is either syconoid with radial and elongate choanocyte chambers, or sylleibid or leuconoid with elongate or spherical, scattered choanocyte chambers. The inhalant and exhalant aquiferous systems are always fully developed. The choanoskeleton is articulate, tubular in syconoid species, and contains few to several rows of triactines and/or tetractines, or is, in leuconoid species, arranged without apparent order. In the latter case, the choanoskeleton always preserves traces of the radial organisation, particularly at the level of the subatrial triactines and/or tetractines. The atrial skeleton consisting of tangential triactines and/or tetractines is well developed” ( Borojević et al. 2002).

Type species: Spongia compressa Fabricius, 1780 by original designation.