CLASSIFICATION OF CHONDRILLA

CLASSIFICATION OF CHONDRILLA

Phylum :- Porifera (Pore bearing, cellular grade, asymmetrical or radially symmetrical.)

Class :- Demospongiae (Skeleton of spongin fibres or siliceous spicules which are not six-rayed.)

Order :- Tetractinellida (Spicules tetraxon)

Genus :- Chondrilla

Habit and habitat of Chondrilla

• Chondrilla is a marine tetractinellid demosponge.

Distribution of Chondrilla

• Found in British waters.

Characteristics of Chondrilla

• Entire sponge body looks like a rounded mass attached to substratum.
• Free surface contains few oscula, while rest of the body is perforated by several pores.
• Body surface is smooth, but mesogloea is thick and stony due to spherasters.
• Canal system is of leuconoid type.
• Spheraster in thick cortex.
• Spherasters found in the cortex between the cones are well developed while other spicules are absent.

Identification of Chondrilla

• Since the specimen contains pores, oscula and spherasters in thick cortex and all above features hence it is Chondrilla.