Tretodictyum Schulze, 1886

Reiswig, Henry M., Dohrmann, Martin, Pomponi, Shirley & Wörheide, Gert, 2008, Two new tretodictyids (Hexactinellida: Hexactinosida: Tretodictyidae) from the coasts of North America, Zootaxa 1721 (1), pp. 53-64 : 54-55

Genus Tretodictyum Schulze, 1886

Type species: Tretodictyum tubulosum Schulze (by monotypy).

Genus diagnosis: Tretodictyidae with body form of tubular, branching and anastomosing network or stumpy, fused mass of tubules; oscula located terminally or laterally, opening into pit-like or elongate-cylindrical but discontinuous atrial cavities; labyrinthic or cleft-like schizorhyses covered externally by loose dermal spicule lattice, with or without a thin layer of fused cortical strands; dermalia pentactin to pinular subhexactins; scopules strongyloform; oxyhexasters with long principal rays; uncinates lacking or with weakly developed barbs (From Reiswig 2002: 1353, emended).

Remarks. The genus diagnosis is emended to combine definition and diagnosis sections given in Reiswig (2002), to correct a typographic error (oscula replaces ostia in the second phrase), and to accommodate the fused cortical strands which occur in the new species.