CLASSIFICATION OF CHALINA
PHYLUM :- PORIFERA (Pore bearing, cellular grade, asymmetrical or radially symmetrical.)
CLASS :- DEMOSPONGIAE (Skeleton of spongin fibres or siliceous spicules which are not six-rayed.)
ORDER :- Monaxonida (Spongin mayor may not be present; spicules monaxon.)
GENUS :- Chalina
GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION
Found in Europe. Common from Rhode Islands to Labrador. North Carolina to Cape Cod. Very common in long Island Sound.
HABIT AND HABITAT
Chalina is found in deep waters. In shallow waters it is only found when detached from its stalk and washed ashore.
GENERAL CHARACTERSTICS OF CHALINA
- Chalina is commonly called as Dead man’s fingers or Mermaid’s gloves.
- Orange or yellowish-brown or red-coloured sponge attached to rocks by stalk.
- Surface of the body is flattened consisting of bunches of finger-like branches and perforated by several ostia and several oscula.
- Skeleton comprise spongin and siliceous spicules. It may be joined or enclosed.
- Canal system is of leucon type.
- It reproduces sexually and asexually by regeneration and budding.
- Sexual reproduction by sperm and ova.
IDENTIFICATION
The animal has finger shaped, forked or digitate stalk shaped body, ostia and all above characters and hence, it is Chalina.
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