Knowra Hexactinellid Hexactinellid A glass sponge in the class Hexactinellida, characterized by a skeleton built from six-rayed silica spicules. Many species live in deep marine waters and have fused skeletal lattices.
Sponge : A simple aquatic animal that filters food from water through a body perforated by pores and canals. Hexactinellids are sponges with a distinctive silica-based skeleton.
Sponge filtration : The process by which sponges pump water through internal canals and capture suspended food particles. Hexactinellids feed by filtering water through their bodies.
Hexactinellid lattice : A rigid skeletal framework formed when silica spicules fuse into a continuous lattice. The lattice is a distinctive structural solution found in many glass sponges.
Euplectella aspergillum : A deep-sea glass sponge known as Venus' flower basket, with a lattice-like silica skeleton. It illustrates the fused, geometric skeleton associated with hexactinellids.
Demospongiae : The largest class of sponges, typically supported by spongin fibers, silica spicules, or both. Unlike glass sponges, demosponges do not build skeletons from six-rayed silica spicules.
Spicule : A small skeletal element found in sponges, made of silica or calcium carbonate. Hexactinellid skeletons are assembled from specialized spicules.
Aquiferous system : The network of pores, canals, and chambers through which water circulates in a sponge. This internal pathway directs the water that supplies food and oxygen.
Venus' flower basket : A glass sponge species, Euplectella aspergillum, with a striking lattice skeleton and deep-sea habitat. Its skeleton is a canonical example of hexactinellid architecture.
Aphrocallistes vastus : A large glass sponge found in the northeast Pacific and associated with sponge reefs. It is a reef-forming hexactinellid in the northeast Pacific.
Calcarea : A class of sponges whose skeletons contain calcium carbonate spicules. Calcareous sponges use a different mineral and spicule form.
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