1

CLASSIFICATION OF PORIFERA
(UPTO CLASS)

INTRODUCTION:
The systematic categorization of the great diverse animals of nature based on their natural relationships /
affinities into scientific grouping / associations, called ‘taxa’, for the purpose of making an inductive
generalization about them with a great ease, by the taxonomists, is called “Zoological classification” (Mayr,
1982). This was introduced by Carolous Linnaeus in his 10th edition of “Systema Naturae” in 1758, and was
then subsequently modified by ICZN / Zoological Commission to make it more and more appropriate.
About 5000 (aprox.) described species of sponges are classified into various taxa based on this
inductive generalization by various taxonomists from time to time.

WHAT ARE PORIFERANS?

Poriferans (Pores = apertures / slits, Fera = bearing) are sessile and aquatic invertebrates with diploblastic
organization having in-between gelatinous mesogleal (mesenchyme) or mesohyl tissue and thus the most
primitive among metazoans; vase-like body with numerous perforations or pores on body surface; with an
internal system of water canals lacking organs like mouth, gut, neuronal cells and nervous system, but
contain spicules as skeletons and choanocytes along the wall of spongocoel, & with osculum at the body top;
and mostly hermaphrodite and reproduce both asexually and sexually; fertilization is in situ in mesohyl.

SCHEMES OF CLASSIFICATION:

According to Rupert / Barnes (1996) in ‘INVERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY’ 6th edition:

Classes:

FEATURES AND EXAMPLES OS TAXA UPTO CLASSES:

TAXON: PHYLUM – PORIFERA:

1) Organization – Diploblastic and most primitive metazoans, carrying numerous pores called ostia, on
body surface, lacking any organ but having well developed connective tissue.

2) Body shape – vase-like or cylindrical; though some are radially symmetrical, but majority are irregular
and exhibit massive, erect, encrusting or branching growth patterns.

3) Size – greatly varies from the size of a rice grain to a meter in height and diameter.

4) Sponge architecture in unique, being constructed around an internal system of water canals.
 2
5) Body wall – Relatively simple:

i) Outer pinacoderm (ectoderm) composed of pinacocytes,

the epithelial like flattened cells.

ii) Inner endoderm composed of a layer of cells called

choanocytes, the flask-shaped (or ovoid) cells, each bearing
a flagellum at the free end.

iii) Mesohyl or mesenchyme – a gelatinous protinaceous

matrix containing skeletal material and amoeboid cells is
located in-between pinacoderm and choanocyte layer.

6) Porocytes and ostia – porocytes are ring-like cells in

body surface, the lumen of each of which extending from
surface to spongocoel forms an incurrent pore or ostium, that
can be opened or closed by contraction.

7) Water canal system – composed

of ostia or incurrent pores,
numerous incurrent canaliculi, that
join a central canal called
spongocoel that is lined with
choanocytes, and an osculum – a
large aperture at the top of body
surface through which spongocoel
communicate to the exterior. This
system serves al the major
physiological functions like
A. Ascon, B. sycon, C. Lucon.
nutrition, excretion, migration of
germ cells, respiration etc

8) Skeleton – Located primarily in mesohyl; and composed of calcareous spicules, siliceous spicules,
flexible protein, sponging fibers, or a combination of the later two; Forms variable like monaxon, triaxon,
megascleres etc. They provide support for system of pores and canals. Cellular elements in mesohyl include
various wandering amoebocytes like:

i) Archaeocytes – a large phagocytic cell with a large nucleus plays a digestive role;

ii) Collenocytes – the fixed cells that secrete dispersed collagen fibers;

iii) Sclerocytes – secretes spicules;

iv) Spongocyets – secretes sponging skeleton;

v) Myocytes – fusiform, contractile cells arranged in circular fashion around a pore or canal.

9) Absence of mouth, neurons and muscle cells.

10) Digestion by choanocytes and thus intracellular.

11) Reproduction – Monoecious sex; reproduce through asexual budding or by sexual method by forming
gametes.
 3
12) Possesses power of regeneration of lost parts.

14) Habit and habitat – Aquatic, almost exclusively marine only one family spongillidae is freashwater.

15) Development – indirect through either amphiblastula or parenchymella larvae.

TAXON: CLSS – 1) CALCAREA:

1) Marine sponges with a

skeleton composed of
calcareous (Calcium carbonate)
spicules that are not
differentiated into megascleres
and microscleres; sponging
fibers – absent.

2) Body-shape – vary from

radially symmetrical vase –
shaped to lamellate or massive
types.

3) Habit and habitat – solitary

or colonial; exclusively marine,
restricted to shallow coastal Sycon gelatinosum
waters.

4) Canal system – asconoid, syconoid or leuconoid.

5) Size and colour – 15 cm in high; dull or sandy colour.

Examples: Leucosolenia, Leucascus sp., Clathrina sp., Sycon (Scypha) sp.

TAXON: CLASS – 2) HEXACTINELLIDA (Glass sponges):

1) Skeleton – composed of: i) hexactinal (triaxon with six rays) siliceous spicules
that may be separated or united into networks; ii) Spongin is absent.

2) A cellular dermal epithelium is lacking.

3) Choanocytes restricted to finger-shaped chambers.

4) Habit & habitat – Entirely marine and occurs in deep waters of all seas.

5) A well developed spongocoel with an osculum that is usually covered with a

sieveplate.

Examples: Euplectella sp. (), Hyalonema sp., Pheronema sp.

Venus’ flower basket

 4
TAXON: CLASS – 3) DEMOSPONGIAE:

1) Skeleton – variable; composed of one to four-rayed siliceous spicules or

sponging fibers or a combination of both.

2) Largest both in species number (90% of sponge species) and in size.

3) Wide range of distribution from the tidal zone down to the abyssal depth.

4) Canal system – is of leuconoid type.

5) Colouration – frequently brilliant because of pigmentsin amoebocytes.

6) Shape – Variable; some are encrusting; some have an upright branching habit,
some with irregular monds; others are string-like or foliaceous; still others are
goblet or urn-shaped. Neptune’s cup

Examples: Poterion sp. (Neptune’s cup); Geodia sp., Plakina sp., Spongilla sp.,
Myxilla sp.

TAXON: CLASS – 4) SCLEROSPONGIAE:

1) Sclerosponges are sponges with a soft body that covers a hard, often massive
skeleton made of calcium carbonate, either aragonite or calcite.

2) They have long life span (500-1,000 years).

3) Their dense skeletons are deposited in an organized chronological manner, in

concentric layers or bands.

4) The layered skeletons look similar to reef corals. Therefore sclerosponges are
also called coralline sponges.

5) Silica spicules are deposited in the calcium carbonate as the sponge grows
outwards in rings.

BASIS OF CLASSIFICATION:

Poriferan classification is typically based on the types, nature and position / dispersion of their skeletal
structures. These are composed of calcareous spicules, siliceous spicules, flexible protein, sponging fibers,
or a combination of the later two. The spicules exist in a variety of forms, such as monaxon, di -, tri -, tetra –
axon etc. (based on number of axes a spicule has); or di -, tetra -, hex – actins (based on rays / points a
spicule has). Sponge species has been categorized into various taxa based on presence of skeletons of similar
nature or types.

PHYLOGENY:

Precambrian fossil records indicate sponges certainly arose prior to Paleozoic era. Evolutionary origin of
sponges poses a number of interesting problems. Absence of organs and low level of cellular differentiation
and interdependence are certainly primitive features in sponges. But a specialized body structure built
around a water canal system and lack of distinct anterior and posterior ends is found in no other groups of
animals. These features suggest that sponges are phylogenetically remote from other metazoans. Most
zoologists now believe that sponges have a common origin with other metazoans but had diverged early in
 5
metazoan history, and have given rise to no other members of Animal kingdom.Weller, 1969 proposed a
phylogenetic tree of poriferans as given –

Monactinellids
Tetractinellids Horny
sponges

Demospongiae
Calcareous Hexactinellids
sponges

Tetractinellid ancestor

Colonial flagellates (Protozoans)

Weller, 1969

CONCLUSION:

Because of primitiveness and isolated phylogenetic positions the sponges have often been paced in a
separate subkingdom, the Parazoa, distinct form other multicellular animals the Eumetazoa.