Family Cladorhizidae Dendy, 1922

Diagnosis. Sponges usually small, symmetrical, mostly in deep water, with diagonal, radiating supporting processes and basal root adaptations for living in soft sediments. Axial skeleton composed of monactinal or diactinal megascleres, from which radiating extra-axial tracts diverge to lateral processes. Microscleres include (an)isochelae, sigmas, forceps or micro(subtylo)styles (microspined, spear-shaped in a few cases). Considerable reduction to complete loss of the choanocyte layer is known for some species, being associated with an adaptation to carnivory, preying on relatively large food items. (modified from Hajdu & Vacelet 2002).