Scyphidium Schulze, 1900

Diagnosis.

Body is saccular, basiphytous, sometimes rhizophytous. Choanosomal skeleton is composed of diactins. Hypodermal spicules, if present, are pentactins. Prostalia, if present, are hypodermal pentactins and/or diactins. Dermalia are stauractins and/or pentactins in various combinations. Atrialia are mainly hexactins. Microscleres are discohexasters and oxyhexasters often with hemioxyhexasters and oxyhexactins; with two or three types of discohexasters, none as calycocomes. Among the larger is a spherical form with a restricted number of secondary rays (emended from Tabachnick 2002).

Remarks.

The genus diagnosis is emended of necessity, to accept S. australiense Tabachnick, Janussen & Menschenina, 2008 and S. variospinosum sp. nov., described below.

Type species.

Scyphidium septentrionale Schulze, 1900.