The Murrayonida are a type of sea sponge

Sea sponge

Sponges are animals of the phylum Porifera . Their bodies consist of jelly-like mesohyl sandwiched between two thin layers of cells. While all animals have unspecialized cells that can transform into specialized cells, sponges are unique in having some specialized cells, but can also have...

, an order

Order (biology)

In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...

 of Calcinea

Calcinea

Calcinea is a subclass of the calcareous sponges....

. Murrayonida are distinguished from other Calcinea by having a reinforced skeleton; like another line of Calcinea, the Leucettidae

Leucettidae

Leucettidae is an order of sea sponges in the subclass Calcinea....

, but unlike most other Calcinea, the Murrayonida sponges also have a cortex covering the cormus and a leuconoid aquiferous system. The order consists of three known species, each in its own family: Murrayona phanolepis in the family Murrayonidae, Lelapiella incrustans in the family Lelapiellidae, and Paramurrayona corticata in the family Paramurrayonidae. Murrayona phanolepis was discovered by C. W. Andrews on Christmas Island

Christmas Island

The Territory of Christmas Island is a territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. It is located northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth, south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and ENE of the Cocos Islands....

, and described and named by ; Kirkpatrick proposed the species name in honor of Sir John Murray

John Murray (oceanographer)

Sir John Murray KCB FRS FRSE FRSGS was a pioneering Scottish oceanographer, marine biologist and limnologist.-Early life:...

, who financed the Christmas Island expedition, and the corresponding name was later given to the order.