Axinellidae


Axinellidae is a family of sponges in the order Axinellida.
This family includes some photo-synthetic sponges that occur throughout the world's coral reefs. They are amongst the more common sponges seen in the aquarium trade but are usually not successful species in captivity and not ones that thrive in the small household tank environment. They are common throughout the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean coral reefs. Species which derive their nutrition from sunlight must stay fairly close to the surface in order for their zooxanthellae to synthesize light into the sugars these sponges use to survive.

Genera

There are ten genera:Axinella Schmidt, 1862Cymbastela Hooper & Bergquist, 1992Dragmacidon Hallmann, 1917Dragmaxia Hallmann, 1916Ophiraphidites Carter, 1876Pararhaphoxya Burton, 1934Phycopsis Carter, 1883Pipestela Alvarez, Hooper & van Soest, 2008Ptilocaulis Carter, 1883Reniochalina Lendenfeld, 1888