Phylum –Porifera-(ref.

Google images)
 Characters-
 Body with pores, canals, and chambers that serve for
passage of water.
 Water canal system for nutrition, respiration and reproduction
is an distinctive feature of the phylum.
 All are aquatic mostly marine.
 They are sessile and sedentary and grow like plants.
 Multicellular body that passes through the blastula stage, a
loose aggregation of cells of mesenchymal origin.
 Multicellular body consist of outer ectoderm and inner
endoderm's with intermediates layer of mesoglea that is they
are diploblastic.
 No organ no true tissues grade.
Characters-
 The body surface is perforated with numerous pores
called as Ostia through which water enters and one or
more large opening called as Osculum through which
water exist.
 Usually asymmetric but some having radial symmetry.
 The endoskeleton exist in the forms of Spicule/ossicles
made up of calcium carbonate or silicious or protein
fibers called as Spongins.
 Mouth absent, digestion is intracellular, excretory and
respiratory organ is absent.
 Reaction to stimuli is local and independent, nervous
system is absent.
Characters-
 Sponges are monoecious, fertilization is
internal.
 Asexual reproduction by buds or gemmules and
sexual reproduction by eggs and sperms , free
swimming cilliated larvae known as
parenchymula.
 Sponges possess high power of regeneration.
 Acoelomate, unsegmented animals.
Water canal system in Sycon-
 Three types of canal system in Porifera- bassed on
folding of body wall and in many species reduction of
spongocoel.
 Asconoids types,
 Syconoid types,
 Leuconoids types.
Water canal system- (ref. google images)
Asconoids types,- Flagellated spongocoel
 Asconoid sponges have the simplest type of canal
system.
 They are small and tube shaped organisation.
 Water enters through microscopic dermal pores called
ostia and enter into large cavity called as Spongocoel
which is lined by Choanocytes.
 Chonocytes flagella pull the water through pores and
expel it through a single large Osculum.
 Example- Leucosolenia is an asconoid type of sponge.
 Asconoid type canal system is found only in Class
calcarea.
Leucosolenia- (ref. google images)
Clathrina- (ref. google images)
Syconoids canal system- Flagellated canals
 Sponges that exhibit first stages of body wall folding are
called Syconoid sponges and includes well known genera
called as Grantia and Sycon.
 In syconoid structure body wall has becomes folded forming
external pockets and evagination.
 External pockets are formed by inward extension from
outsides.
 Evaginations are formed by outward extension from inward.
 Many pockets are produced by folding do not meet but
bypass each other.
 Choanocytes line the evagination which are called as
Flagellated canal or radial canals.
 The corresponding invagination from pinacoderms are known
as Incurrent canal and lined by pinacocytes cells.
 Two canals are connected by openings called as prosopyles.
Continued,,,

 Water flows through incurrent canal , to prosopyles, to

flagellated canal and the spongocoel and flows out
through single osculum.
 In syconoid spongocoel are lined by epithelial type cells
rather than choanocytes.
 Example is Sycon.
Syconoid canals- In sponge sycon- (ref. google images)
Sycon and Grantia- (ref. google images)
Leuconoid types- Flagellated chambers.
 Leuconoids organizatiopn is the most complex type of sponge
types and permits an increase in sponge size.
 Most leuconoids forms large masses with numerous oscluum.
 Highest degree of folding take place in leuconoids.
 The flagellated canals have been tranformed into small
rounded flagellated chambers and the spongocoel has been
reduced to water canals leading to an osculum.
 Water enters the sponge through the ostia and passes through
the subdermal spaces leading into branching incurrent canals.
 Branched incurrent canals eventually open into the
flagellated chambers through prosopyles.
 Water leaves the chambers through Apopyle and passes
through excurrent canals.A large canal eventually open to
outside through the oscullum. The canal is lined by
Pinavcocytes.
Leuconoid- (ref. google images)
Examples of leuconoids- (ref. google images)
Skeleton of Porifera-
 The skeleton is relatively complex and provides a supporting
framework for the living cells of animals.
 Skeleton may be composed of calcareous spicules, siliceous
spicules, protein spongin fibers or combinations of last two.
 Spicules exist in a variety of forms and important in
identification and classification of species.
 The inorganic skeleton is secreted by Sclerocytes cells.
 Skeleton of sponges is classified into two groups bassed on
size of spicules-
 Megascleres and microscleres.
 Further these are classified on the basis of number of their
axes and rays.Axes suffix Axon and for ray suffix Actine or
actinal.
Skeleton-
 Monoaxon- Formed by growth in one or
both directions along single axis.
 Which may be straight or curved.
 Tetraxons-
 Triaxon or Hexaactinals.
 Poly axons
 Spheres
Skeleton- (ref. google images)
Classification-
 The classification of porifera is based on type of
skeleton found in them.
 Phylum Porifera divided into three classes
 Class- I Calcarea or Calcispongiae
 Class- II Hexactinellida or Hyalospongiae
 Class-III Demospongiae.
 Class-IV Sclerospongiae-

 Parenchymula larva.
Class- Calcarea or Calcispongiae-
 They have a skeleton of separate calcareous spicules, which
are monoaxon, or tetraxon may loose one ray and becomes
triradiate.
 They are known as Calcareous sponge.
 Spongin fibers are absent.
 They are solitory or colonial, body shape is usually vase
shaped or cylindrical.
 They shows all type canal system i.e Asconoid, Syconoids
and Leuconoids.
 They are dull colored sponges less than 15cms in size.
 They occurs in shallow water in all oceans.
 Examples Leucosolenia, Clathrina., Sycon or scypha Grantia.
Sycon - (ref. google images)


Sycon or Scypha-
 Scypha is also known as Crown sponge because of its
oscular fringe looking like crown .
 Scypha is vase shaped and is about 2.5 to 7.5cms.
 Crown sponge is small marine sponge found attached by
a sticky secretion to some sub mereged solid objects.
 It found in shallow oceans water up to 6 feet deep.
 It is branching colonial sponge.
 It has several cylinders are connected at the base by
which it is attached by sticky secretion
 Distal or free end of each cylinder has single large
opening the osculum.
 Inside each cylinders there is Spongocoels or
paragastric cavity which is not a digestive cavity.

External characters-
 The osculium is encircled by upstanding collar
of long monoaxon spicules termed as oscular
fringe. It prevent the entry of other animals into
sponge.
 Bellow the osculum there is a short narrow
collar region.
 Externally body is covered by thin dermal
epithelium known as Ectoderms.
 The externally the surface of cylinders has
polygonal elevations and between the
elevations are depressed lines in a depressions
there is numerous ostia called as incurrent pores.
External---

 The body wall of cylinders are thick because of

mesoglea, the wall is folded in such a way as to forms
two types of canals the incurrent and radial canals they
lie alternately and radially around the spongocoel.,
 Ostia and canals is absent in collar and basal region of
the body.
 The particular type of canal system found in Scypha is
known as Syconoid types which is more advanced than
asconoids types.
 Scypha feeds on particles of organic matters and small
living organisms such as bacteria diatoms and protozoa.
 Digestion is entirely intracellular.
 Respiration by simple diffusion.
 Scypha reproduces both sexually and sexually.
Another example is Leucosolenia—
(ref. google images)
 Class-II Hexactinellida-(Hyalspongiae) (Spicules includes Triaxon
with six points)
 Popularly known as Glass Sponges.
 Glass sponges all are deep sea forms.
 Shape is usually cup shaped., or funnel shaped or
cylindrical.
 Color mostly pale colors.
 Single osculum with sieve like plate.
 Most are radials symmetrical range from 7 to 10
cms. to more than one meter in length shows less
tendency towards formation of clustes.
 One of the distinguishing features of class is the
skeleton of six rayed siliceous spicules bound
together in an exquisites glasslike lattice.
Hexactinelida-

 Their tissues structure are differs dramatically from

other sponges, the body of hexactinelids are
composed of a single, continuous syncytial tissues
called a Trabecular reticulum.
 Trabecular reticulum is largest known Syncytial
tissues in Metazoa.
 There is no epidermal epithelium.
 Choanocytes line the finger shaped chambers(radial
canal).
 Example is Euplectella known as Venus flower
basket.
 Hyalonema.
Euplectella- (ref. google images) Venus flower basket
Glass sponge- (ref. google images)
Euplectella- (ref. google images)
About Euplectella-

 Euplectella is commonly known as Venus flower

basket.
 Deep sea dweller.
 It is glass sponge the body is cylindrical and curved
with thin walls.
 The upper end is closed by an oscular sieve formed
by fused spicules and lower end has anchoring
siliceous root spicules, inside is spongocoels.
 There is no pinacocyte lined epidermis.
 Skeleton is made up of four and six rayed siliceous
spicules bound together by siliceous cements.
 Canal is syconoid types.
Hyalonema-
 Hyalonema is commonly known as Glass rope
sponge, is a marine about 38-40 cms in length.
 The body is rounded oval bellow which is a
bundles of long spicules projects as roots tuft
which is oftenelly spirally twisted, the roots tuft
look like stalk.
 Regularly growing in symbiotic relationships
with hyalonema is several polyps sea
anemones.
Hyalonema- (ref. google images)
Class-III Demospongiae-
 Demospongiae largest class of sponge.
 These sponges found in shallow water to great
deep oceans.
 Colorations is frequently brilliant because of
pigments grannules located in Amoebocytes
cells.
 Different species are characterized by different
colors.
 The skeleton of this class are variables.
 It may consist of siliceous spicules or spongin
fibers or both or no skeleton.(Genus Oscarella).
Demospongiae-

 Demospongiae siliceous skeleton differs from

Hexactinelida in that it never has triaxon
spicules.
 It may has monoaxon or tetraxon.
 All demospongiae has leuconoids type of canal
system.
 Body shape is irregular.
 usually marine except Family Spongilidae.
 Examples are- Oscarella, Plakina, Cliona ,
Halichondria, Chalina, Spongilla.
Oscarella- (ref. google images)
Oscarella-(ref. google images)
Spongilla-(ref. google images)
Spongilla-(google images)
Euspongia-(ref. google images)
Euspongia( bath sponge-)
 It is a marine sponge of commercial value and is
found in Mediterranean Sea, West Indies and
along American coasts.
 It is commonly found in shallow water attached
to substratum.
 Skeleton is made up of spongin fibres. The
silicious spicules is absent.
 It is usually of a globular shape with numerous
oscula mounted on well marked projections-the
canals.
 Its dried skeleton is commonly used as bath
sponge.
Oscarella-Ref. Google images.
About Oscarella-
 Oscarella is a brightly coloured, small low
encrusting sponge with the lobulated upper
surface.
 The basal part of the sponge is filled with eggs
and embryo and peripheral part encloses the canal
system.
 Each lobe or fold encloses an excurrent canal
surrounded by flagellated chambers.
 The incurents canal is situated in depression
between the lobes of the body.
 Canal system is Leuconoid type.
 Skeleton is completely absent.
About Spongilla-
 Spongilla is probably the best known of freshwater
sponges.
 It is found in ponds, lakes and slow streams growing on
submerged sticks and plants.
 The colony of spongilla is profusely branched exhibiting
various shades of green colors due to the presence of
Zoochlorellae , a green alga in the tissues.
 The body wall consist of very thin dermal membrane
provided with dermal pores and several oscula.
 Skeleton consist of siliceous spicules in the form of
network of smooth or spiny large and small oxeas
embeded in the spongin.
 Reproductionb is both sexual and asexual.
 Asexual reproduction is through Gemmules.
 Sexual reproduction by a way of unusual free swimming
larva, characteristic of Spongilla.