Family Suberitidae Schmidt

Diagnosis. Globular, ramose, stipitate, massive or encrusting habit. Megascleres usually tylostyles, occasionally styles, strongyloxeas or centrotylote oxeas; microscleres usually absent, when present, confined to microrhabds and trichodragmas. In cross section, megascleres are usually arranged in bouquets at the surface, in more massive species becoming progressively confusedly arranged towards the interior, but overall structure may also be strictly radial or show a strong axial orientation. In one genus, the spicules at the surface are arranged tangentially. There is no recognizable cortex. In thinly encrusting species, spicule orientation is either parallel or perpendicular to the substratum. Modifications of shape and position of the tylostyles heads are common; they can be lobate, pearshaped, drop-shaped or subterminal (Van Soest 2002).