SUBERITIDAE Schmidt, 1870

McCormack, Grace P. & Kelly, Michelle, 2002, New indications of the phylogenetic a nity of Spongosorites suberitoides Diaz et al., 1993 (Porifera, Demospongiae) as revealed by 28 S ribosomal DNA, Journal of Natural History 36 (9), pp. 1009-1021 : 1018

Family SUBERITIDAE Schmidt

Diagnosis (emended)

Massive, pedunculate or cup-shaped Hadromerida , frequently with membranous raised oscules, texture corky or waxy to the touch, typically displaying a range of coloration from cream to yellow, bright orange or red, frequently also green and blue. Megascleres are tylostyles and subtylostyles in two to three size categories, strongyloxea in one to two size categories, and occasionally oxea which may be centrotylote. Microscleres are absent. Megasclere architecture usually semi-radial with loosely structured anastomosing loose tracts of megascleres, almost always radial at the sponge surface where the ectosome is raised in vertical to fanning brushes of small megascleres, or strictly radiating from the base of the sponge. Reproduction is oviparous, some species gemmulate, one genus forms an association with hermit crabs.