Hexactinella Carter, 1885

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 : 59

Genus Hexactinella Carter

Type species: Hexactinella ventilabrum Carter (by monotypy).

Genus diagnosis: Tretodictyidae of variable shape from simple vase or bowl-like to branching tubules; entire external surface including labyrinthic schizorhysial entrances (usually as grooves) covered by a dermal lattice of loose pentactins to subhexactins; discohexasters or variant always present; oxyhexasters present or absent; dictyonal beams ornamented with microtubercles either scattered or in transverse rows; dictyonal nodes usually not swollen but may occur on the dermal frame; scopule usually strongyloform but tylote and oxyote tine tips occur; raphidial uncinates common with or without indications of brackets and barbs (From Reiswig 2002: 1346, emended).

Remarks. The diagnosis is emended to combine definition and diagnosis sections of Reiswig (2002), and to accommodate the swollen dermal nodes in the new species.