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.