Vazella Gray, 1870

Reiswig, Henry M., Dohrmann, Martin, Kelly, Michelle, Mills, Sadie, Schupp, Peter J. & Woerheide, Gert, 2021, Rossellid glass sponges (Porifera, Hexactinellida) from New Zealand waters, with description of one new genus and six new species, ZooKeys 1060, pp. 33-84 : 33

Vazella Gray, 1870

Diagnosis.

Body is saccular, basiphytous. Choanosomal skeleton is composed of diactins. Hypodermal pentactins are raised, thorned paratropal pentactins. Prostalia basalia and marginalia are monaxons (diactins). Dermalia are stauractins and pentactins. Atrialia are mainly hexactins. Discoid microscleres are microisodiscohexasters and microanisodiscohexasters; oxyoid microscleres are combinations of hexactins, hexasters, and hemihexasters (modified from Tabachnick 2002).

Remarks.

This modified diagnosis allows separation of the present genus, Nubes gen. nov., from Vazella on the basis of lack of thorned hypodermalia and presence of discoid microscleres that are not anisodiscohexasters in the former. Furthermore, molecular phylogenetic results do not support a close relationship of the two genera (MD, unpubl. results).