Corvospongilla Annandale, 1911

Manconi, Renata & Pronzato, Roberto, 2019, The genus Corvospongilla Annandale, 1911 (Porifera: Demospongiae: Spongillida) from Madagascar freshwater with description of a new species: biogeographic and evolutionary aspects, Zootaxa 4612 (4), pp. 544-554 : 546

Genus Corvospongilla Annandale, 1911

[Type species Corvospongilla loricata (Weltner, 1895) ]

Diagnosis (emended after Manconi & Pronzato 2002; Ruengsawang et al. 2012). Spongillidae with encrusting, flat to massive, lobate growth form. Consistency extremely hard to fragile. Spongin scanty except for the well-developed basal spongin plate and the gemmular theca. Skeletal network alveolar (isotropic) with polygonal meshes, and ascending pauci- to multi-spicular tracts toward surface supporting conules and ridges. Megascleres strongyles to oxeas smooth, tubercled-granulated or spiny. Microscleres frequently rare, straight to slightly curved micropseudobirotules with smooth shaft of variable length. Gemmules of three morphs, sometime coexistent, single or grouped, in the skeletal network (free gemmules) or adhering to the basal spongin plate (sessile gemmules) with or without a variably stout spicular cage around the theca. Foramen from apical to lateral with a short porus tube. Gemmular theca from tri-layered with a variably thick pneumatic layer with rounded chambers, to mono- or bi-layered theca of compact laminar spongin, according to the gemmular morph. Gemmuloscleres, variably embedded and tangentially arranged in the theca, from elongated, spiny to smooth, stout strongyles to oxeas to strongyloxeas, straight or variably curved to ring-shaped to oval. Spicules of larvae slender smooth spiny oxeas.