Axinellidae

Axinellidae is a family of sponges in the order Axinellida.^[2]

Axinellidae
Axinella polypoides
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Porifera
Class:	Demospongiae
Order:	Axinellida
Family:	Axinellidae Carter, 1875[1]
Genera
10 genera (see text)
Synonyms
Phakellidae Gray, 1867

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:^[2]

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