Diapleuridae
''Diapleuridae'' is a family of five extinct species of marine glass sponges found in the Caribbean Sea, Florida Straits, Banda Sea, and US Virgin Islands. A sixth species–''Diapleura hatoni''–is postulated to have existed around the same time as the other five, but there is limited research on it. ''Diapleuridae'' is part of class Hexactinellida and order Lyssacinosida. These sponges lived during the Middle Epoch of the Eocene and were filter feeders that were attached to the benthos by a basal disc. The oldest recorded fossil of a species of ''Diapluridae'' is from 47.8 million years ago, with the most recent fossil dated 41.3 million years ago. Ecology These species lived on the benthos of the ocean in the epipelagic, between about 200 and 500 meters in depth. The individual sponge is roughly 30mm in height and 25mm in width, surrounded by a silica coating that creates the “glass” exterior. All species of this family were suspension feeders, primarily feeding on plank ...
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