How long does a glass sponge live?
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz have now determined the age of a more than two meters long and one centimetre thick glass sponge to be about 11,000 years. It is among the longest living animal species existing today.
What family is Hexactinellida?
sponges
Hexactinellid
| Hexactinellid sponges Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Porifera |
| Class: | Hexactinellida Schmidt, 1870 |
| Subgroups |
What is Hexactinellida scientific name?
Hexactinellida
Glass sponges/Scientific names
Why is Hexactinellida called glass sponge?
Glass sponges in the class Hexactinellida are animals commonly found in the deep ocean. Their tissues contain glass-like structural particles, called spicules, that are made of silica (hence their name).
What is the scientific name of glass sponge?
The scientific name for glass sponges is Hexactinellida (hex-act-in-ell-id-a). These sponges filter dissolved silica (glass) out of the water and use it to form spicules, which make up the skeleton of the sponge.
Are glass sponges endangered?
Reef-building glass sponges, known only from fossilized remains, are thought to have gone extinct 100 million years ago, driven out by competition from newly arrived diatoms.
How do you identify Hexactinellida?
Overview. Hexactinellida are characterized by having siliceous hexactine (six-pointed) spicules, making them the second class within the major sponge group Silicea. They also construct two different body plans: sycon and leucon.
What do Hexactinellida look like?
All glass sponges are upright, and possess specialized structures at their bases for holding fast to the ocean floor. Most appear outwardly to be radially symmetrical; they are typically cylindrical, but may also be cup-shaped, urn-shaped, or branching.
Does Hexactinellida have spongin?
Hexactinellid sponges have sturdy lattice-like internal skeletons made up of fused spicules of silica; they tend to be more-or-less cup-shaped. Many sponges have internal skeletons of spongin and/or spicules of calcium carbonate or silica. Primarily, their body consists of a thin sheet of cells over a frame (skeleton).
What is the common name of Leucosolenia?
| Common Name | Used in | Language |
|---|---|---|
| Translucid chimney sponge | Chile | English |
| Esponja chimenea translucida | Chile | Spanish |
What are the characteristics of Hexactinellida?
The average height of a hexactinellid is between 10 and 30 cm, but some can grow to be quite large. A hexactinellid possesses a cavernous central cavity (the atrium) through which water passes; a cap of tightly woven spicules covers the osculum in some species. Coloration in most is pale.
What is the family of a sponge?
Most belong to the family Cladorhizidae, but a few members of the Guitarridae and Esperiopsidae are also carnivores.