Rossellidae Schulze, 1885, 1886

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

Rossellidae Schulze, 1885

Diagnosis.

The body is usually cup-like basiphytose or lophophytose; in the pedunculate forms the body can be mushroom-like. Prostalia lateralia, when present, are formed with diactins or outwardly protruding hypodermal pentactins; prostalia basalia, when present, are outwardly protruding hypodermal pentactins which are usually specialised (anchorate). Choanosomal skeleton consists of diactins, sometimes together with less frequent hexactins. Hypodermal pentactins often present, usually they protrude from the dermal surface serving as prostalia. Hypoatrial pentactins are rarely found or absent in some taxa. Dermalia are combinations of various spicules usually pentactins; stauractins and diactins, rarely hexactins. Atrialia are usually hexactins but other holactinoidal spicules can be also found there. Microscleres are various: holactinoidal, asterous and asters; they usually have discoidal or oxyoidal terminations but sometimes floricoidal, onychoidal, or sigmoidal ones (after Tabachnick 2002).