Lophophysema Schulze, 1900

Gong, Lin, Li, Xinzheng & Qiu, Jian-Wen, 2014, A new species of Lophophysema (Porifera, Hexactinellida, Hyalonematidae) from the South China Sea, Zootaxa 3884 (6), pp. 553-560 : 555

Genus Lophophysema Schulze, 1900

Diagnosis (here emended from Tabachnick & Menshenina 2002). Body is composed of two surfaces, usually in radially symmetrical forms with a larger, upper, everted, conical atrial surface and lower, smaller, conical dermal surface, but one species is vertically bilateral with expanded atrial surface on one side and restricted dermal surface opposite and closely adherant to the internal root bundle. The atrial surface is tight-meshed while the dermal surface is sieve-like with large openings into an extensive inhalant system of wide branching canals oriented either vertically or horizontally. The apical cone protrudes over the apex in all body forms. Basalia are twisted in a single narrow tuft. Choanosomal skeleton consists of diactines, sometimes with hexactines. Prostalia marginalia (corresponding to oscularia) are pinular diactines or absent. Dermalia, atrialia and canalaria are usually pinular pentactines, rarely hexactines. Hypodermalia are pentactines, hypoatrialia may be absent or are also pentactines. Microscleres are amphidiscs (macramphidisc and mesamphidiscs may be absent or rare, micramphidiscs are always present) and spiny microhexactines or rough monactines.