Sponges (Porifera) are primitive filtering animals, lacking tissue and organs. They are multicellular parazoan organisms with porous bodies, permitting water circulations. Sponges are divided in four classes: calcareous sponges (Calcarea), glass sponges (Hexactinellida), demosponges (Demospongiae) and homosclerophorid sponges (Homoscleromorpha). There are 9,000 known species.

Identification of sponges by sight or from photographs may be challenging, because of their variability, and often requires microscopic examination. Identification of some species on this website should be treated as tentative.

 

Demospongiae

Aplysinidae

Callyspongiidae

Demospongidae

Iotrochotidae

Irciniidae

Niphatidae

Petrosiidae