| Word: Acantho- Description: Prefix meaning spined, as in acanthostyle or acanthomicrorhabd Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
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| Word: Acantho- Description: Prefix meaning spined, as in acanthostyle or acanthomicrorhabd Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Acerate Description: Pointed like a needle; adjective referring to the extremities of megascleres. See OXEA. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Actine Description: A centered ray containing an axis or axial canal. See also CLAD. Synonyms: Ray Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Ala Description: One of the thin, wing-like or spatulate structures in each recurved portion of a chela. The anterior ala is the one facing the shaft; others are lateral alae. See CHELA. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Amphiaster Description: A microsclere with microspined rays radiating from both ends of a shaft; the rays are shorter than the shaft Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Amphitriaene Description: A double triaene with a short rhabd bearing two opposed cladomes Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
| Word: Anatriaene Description: A triaene in which the clads are sharply curved backward Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Anchorate chela Description: An isochela with three or more free alae (at each end) in the form of recurved processes shaped like anchor claws (unguiferous) or anchor blades (spatuliferous); with two incipient lateral alae fused with the shaft over their entire length and a gently curved, not abruptly arched shaft. An anchorate chela with three teeth is called a tridendate chela. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Angulate Description: Sharply bent; referring to overall spicule shape, as in oxea or sigmas. See OXEA. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Aniso- Description: Prefix meaning unequal; generally referring to the ends of a spicule; see ANISOCHELA. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Anisochela Description: A chela with unequal ends Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Antho- Description: Prefix meaning thorny. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Anthosigma Description: A special form of spiraster (genus Anthosig mella; = Cliona); to be rejected. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Anthaster Description: An euaster with tuberculate, denticulate, or spined, sometimes digitate, expansions at the ray tips (Chondrilla grandis) Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Arcuate chela Description: An isochela with three free alae and the shaft characteristically curved outward, often bow-shaped. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Aspidaster Description: An elongate-compressed microsclere in which the numerous rays are fused and end in minute spinose projections (Erylus spp.) Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Asymmetric Description: Adjective referring to the extremities of a megasclere. See OXEA. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Axial filament Description: The organic core around which a siliceous spicule is organized. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Bipocillum Description: A modified anisochela with fused alae connected by a short curved shaft (genus Iophon) Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Birotula Description: A type of microsclere with a straight shaft and umbrella-shaped ends Synonyms: Amphidisc Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Blunt Description: Adjective referring to the extremities of megascleres. See OXEA. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Calthrop Description: Equiangular tetraxon with equal rays Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Candelabrum Description: A special form of lophocalthrop characterized by branching, multispined rays Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Canonochela Description: Modified, ellipsoid isochela with wing-like extensions on one (the "bottom") side (genus Cercidochela) Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Centrotriaene Description: A triaene with three clads and two small rhabds (genus Triptolemus) Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Centrotylote Description: Spicule with a median tyle (globular swelling). See OXEA. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
| Word: Chela Description: A microsclere with a curved shaft and recurved ala at each end. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Chiastosigma Description: Microsclere composed of two crossed sigmas (genus Chiastosia) Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
| Word: Clad Description: Any ray or axial branch containing an axis or axial canal confluent with that of the protoclad or protorhabd in any type of spicule; term chiefly used in triaene spicules. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
| Word: Cladome Description: The clads of a triaene or triaene-derivative spicule. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
| Word: Cladotylote Description: Monaxon megasclere, one end with knobs, the other with hooks Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Clavidisc Description: A ring-shaped microsclere (genus Merlia). Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Cleistochela Description: A chela with the ends (anterior alae) very close to each other (e.g., Clathria echinata) Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Comma Description: A curved microstyle Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Conical (= abruptly pointed) Description: Adjective referring to the extremities of megascleres. See OXEA. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
| Word: Cri- Description: Prefix indicating spiral or annulate ornamentation, as in cricalthrop (genus Sphinctrella) Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Croca Description: A J-shaped microsclere Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Curved Description: Referring to spicule shape (may be symmetrical or asymmetrical). See OXEA. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Cyrtancistra Description: A sigma with semilanceolated extremities (genus Pozziella) Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Deuteroclad Description: An actinal branch or a distal, branched portion of a ray. See DICHOTRIAENE. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
| Word: Diaene Description: Reduced triaene with two clads Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Diancistra Description: A microsclere with hooked, knife-shaped ends, notched where they join the shaft and in the middle of the shaft (genus Hamacantha) Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
| Word: Dichotriaene Description: An ortho or plagiotriaene in which the clads are bifurcate Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Didiscorhabd Description: Microxea or microstrongyle ornamented by two discs along the shaft (genus Didiscus) Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Diod Description: Any diactine spicule with a central double-bent kink Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Diplaster Description: An astrose microsclere in which the rays or spines radiate from two, slightly distant, points Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Discaster Description: A collective term for DISCORHABD and SCEPTRUM; to be rejected. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Dischela Description: A modified isochela whose disc-shaped alae are very close to each other and connected on their margins by two extremely reduced shafts (genus Coelodischela) Synonyms: Coelodischela Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
| Word: Discorhabd (= sceptrum) Description: A rod-shaped microsclere with several smooth or serrated discs along the shaft (genera Latrunculia, Podospongia, Sceptrinus) Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
| Word: Discotriaene Description: A triaene with a disc-shaped cladome. The single clads may be distinguished by the presence of short axial canals (genus Discodermia) Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Equal Description: Adjective referring to the extremities of megascleres. See OXEA. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
| Word: Euaster Description: A collective term for astrose microscleres in which the rays radiate from a central point Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Exotyle Description: Styles or tylostyles with enlarged or omated distal end, projecting from the sponge surface Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Fimbria Description: Narrow structure, similar to an ala, flanking the shaft of an anchorate chela Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Flexuous (= sinuous, wavy) Description: Referring to the spicule shape. See OXEA. Synonyms: Sinuous Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Forceps (= labis) Description: A U-shaped microsclere Synonyms: Labis Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Fusiform Description: Shape of a monactin spicule, tapering regularly toward a point. See OXEA. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Hastate Description: Spicule remaining isodiametric for most of its length, with the point or points tapering abruptly. See OXEA. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Hilum Description: A more or less distinct, funnel-shaped depression in the surface of a STERRASTER, situated on one side in ellipsoidal forms; also occurs in ASPIDASTERS in reduced form, resembling an umbilicus. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Iso- Description: Prefix meaning equal (generally referring to the ends of a spicule). Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
| Word: Isochela Description: A chela with equal ends Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Lopho- Description: Prefix for categories of spicules having one or more rays affected by multiple, sometimes complex, branching (lophate spicules); see LOPHOCALTHROP. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Lophocalthrop Description: Modified calthrop with one (monoloph), three (triloph), or four (tetraloph) rays Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
| Word: Mesotriaene Description: A triaene in which the rhabd is extended beyond the cladome Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Metaster Description: A microsclere with a twisted shaft no longer than the spines; intermediate between plesiaster and spi raster Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Micro- Description: Prefix used for naming microscleres that are similar in shape to megascleres (e.g., microxea, microstyle). Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Microrhabd Description: A general term for a straight, monaxonic microsclere. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Microsclere Description: Small spicule, often ornate in shape. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
| Word: Monaene Description: Reduced triaene with only one clad Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Monaxon Description: Linear, nonradiate spicule, or a spicule type not having more than two rays along one axis. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Mucronate Description: Adjective referring to the nipple-like point of a megasclere. See OXEA. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Onychaete Description: A long, thin, finely spined, asymmetric microsclere Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
| Word: Orthotriaene Description: A triaene in which the clads are directed at right angles to the rhabd Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
| Word: Oxea Description: Monaxon (diactinal) spicule pointed at both ends (a-m in figure). Different types are distinguished by shape and tip morphology. Shape may be fusiform (a), angulate (b), centrotylote (c), curved (d), or flexuous (e). Tips may be acerate (f), asymmetrical (g), blunt (h), conical (i), hastate (j), mucronate (k), stepped (1), or symmetrical (m). Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
| Word: Oxy- Description: Prefix referring to radiate spicule types with rays gradually tapering to a point. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Oxyaster Description: An euaster with acerate free rays and a small centrum less than one-third the diameter of the whole spicule) Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Palmate chela Description: An iso- or anisochela in which the lateral alae coalesce with the shaft over their entire length, and the single, median, anterior ala (one at each end) stands free and widens distally Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Phyllotriaene Description: A triaene with a leaf-shaped cladome. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Placochela Description: A special type of isochela with plate-like alae. The alae and the shaft are internally ornamented by radial ridges (genus Guitarra) Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
| Word: Plagiotriaene Description: A triaene in which the clads are directed forward and form with the rhabd an angle of about 45 degrees, and may be recurved distally Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Plesiaster Description: A streptaster with a very short shaft (always shorter than the spines) Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
| Word: Polytylote Description: Megasclere with several annular swelling along its shaft Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Protoclad Description: The proximal, unbranched portion of a branched ray. See DICHOTRIAENE. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Protorhabd Description: The original simple shaft of ornamented monaxons and of triaenes. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
| Word: Protriaene Description: A triaene in which the clads are directed or sharply curved forward, away from the rhabd Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Pycnaster Description: A small euaster in which the rays are merely low conules; to be rejected. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Raphide Description: A very thin, hair-like microsclere, often in bundles called trichodragmas Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Rhabd Description: A collective term for a monaxonic megasclere, later applied to the one ray of a triaene that is distinct from the other three, mostly in length (= rhabdome). Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Rhabdome Description: The rhabd of a triaene and of a triaene-derived spicule. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
| Word: Rhabdostyle Description: A style with a pronounced basal bend. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Sanidaster Description: A rhabd-derived, straight microsclere having spines at intervals along the entire length. Spines along the shaft are perpendicular to the axis and may or may not be spirally arranged; those at the ends diverge obliquely (e.g., genera Tribrachium, Disyringa) Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Scale Description: Disc-shaped microsclere forming ectosomal ("dermal") armor (genus Lepidosphera) Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Selenaster Description: A special type of spiraster approaching the shape of a sterraster (genus Placospongia) Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Sigma Description: A microsclere of C or S shape Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Sigmancistra Description: A slightly modified sigma found in Cladorhiza Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Sigmaspire Description: A contorted-sigmoid microspined microsclere (family Tetillidae) Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Spatuliferous-anchorate chela (= ancora spatulifera) Description: An anchorate chela (usually isochela) having alae that are completely free from the shaft and that are spatulate or shaped like anchor teeth Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Sphaerancora Description: Modified isochela, consisting of two ellipsoid ridged plates intersecting at right angles (genus Melonanchora) Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Spheraster Description: An euaster with short rays and a thick centrum; the diameter of the centrum (more than one-half the total diameter) exceeds the length of the rays Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Spheroxyaster Description: Euaster with a discrete centrum that is more than one-third the total diameter Synonyms: Oxyspheraster Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Spiraster (= spinispira) Description: Spiral, rod-shaped microsclere with spines peripherally arranged. Synonyms: Spinispira Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Stepped (= "telescoped") Description: Adjective referring to the extremities of a megasclere. See OXEA. Synonyms: Telescoped Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Sterraster Description: A spherical or ellipsoidal microsclere in which the numerous rays are fused and end in stellate terminations (e.g., genus Geodia). Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Sterrospheraster Description: Ball-shaped euaster with numerous conical or flattened, often denticulate or tuberculate protuberances; to be rejected. See STERRASTER. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Streptaster Description: Aster in which the rays proceed from an axis that is usually spiral Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Strongylaster (= chiaster) Description: Aster with free, isodiametric, blunt rays Synonyms: Chiaster Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
| Word: Strongyle Description: An isodiametric, diactinal megasclere with rounded ends Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
| Word: Strongyloxea Description: A fusiform oxea with one end blunt. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
| Word: Style Description: Monaxon spicule with one end pointed, the other (head or base) blunt Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
| Word: Subtylostyle Description: Tylostyle with one end pointed, the other with a slight swelling or knob; the swelling, more or less distinct, may be displaced along the shaft Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Symmetrica Description: Adjective referring to the extremities of megascleres. See OXEA. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Tetrapocillum Description: A rare, modified isochela having two small disks both at the extremities and in the middle of a straight shaft; the two in the middle are fused (genus Tetrapocillon) Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Thaumatochela Description: A rare, minute anisochela with the smaller extremity jar- or slipper-shaped and partly enveloped by four alae issuing from the opposite end and forming an umbrella-like structure (Mycale thaumatochela). Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Thraustoxa Description: Toxa-like, smooth to spinose microsclere, double- bent in the middle and often with central swelling (genus Rhabderemia) Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
| Word: Tornote Description: A straight, isodiametric, diactinal megasclere with conical or mucronate extremities Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
| Word: Toxa Description: Bow-shaped microsclere Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
| Word: Triaene Description: General term for a tetractinal megasclere having one unequal ray (termed rhabd) that is commonly much longer than the other three (termed clads, forming the cladome). Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Trichodragma (pl. trichodragmas or trichodragmata) Description: A bundle of raphids. Synonyms: Dragma Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Trichotriaene Description: A triaene in which the clads are trifurcate. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Tridentate chela Description: A chela with three free alae. See also ANCHORATE CHELA. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Triod Description: Triact in which the rays are equal, straight, in one plane, and diverging at an angle of 120 degrees. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Tripod Description: A modified triod with rays forming a regular pyramid. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Truncaster Description: Aster with crowded, blunt rays (genus Rhabdastrella). Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Tuberculate Description: Spicule ornamented with blunt knobs. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Tylaster Description: Aster with free, microtylote rays Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
| Word: Tyle Description: Any rounded swelling or knob in a spicule (c in figure). Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
| Word: Tylostyle Description: A style with a tyle (globular swelling) at the base Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
| Word: Tylote Description: Diactinal megasclere with a swelling on each end Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
No image available. | Word: Unequal Description: Adjective referring to the extremities of megascleres. See also ANISO-. Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
 | Word: Unguiferous-anchorate chela (= ancora unguifera) Description: An anchorate chela in which the recurved processes are in the form of claws or sickles and are normally connected to the shaft by expansions called falces Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |
| Word: Verticillate Description: Spicule ornamented by whirls (e.g., genus Agelas) Category: Spicules of Demospongiae |