Аннотация:Sponges are traditionally regarded as immobile organisms. However, some species are able to move, for example, during stolonial budding (Lavrov, Kosevich, 2018). Using light, confocal and electron microscopy, we identified and characterized the key stages and cellular basis of stolonial budding in the carnivorous sponge Lycopodina hypogea. Asexual reproduction in Lycopodina begins with the growth of a stolon from the base of the sponge. The stolon elongates and crawls along the substrate. A bud then develops at the tip of the stolon, and eventually detaches. Both the stolon and the bud have distinct polarity and migrate by forming a multicellular migration front. The cells at the front edge enable migration by forming filopodia and lamellipodia. TEM analysis revealed a remarkable similarity in the cellular composition of the adult organism, (Vacelet, Duport, 2004), stolon and migratory bud. The stolon/bud is covered with exopinacoderm. In the stolon/bud, ‘dorsal’ and ‘ventral’ (substrate-facing) surfaces can be distinguished. The ‘ventral’ surface is characterized by the elongated cells and the absence of superficial spicules. The majority of the inner cells of the stolon/bud are bacteriocytes, and we never observed archaeocyte-like cells in any region of the stolon or bud. All inner cells and long spicules are elongated over the axis of stolon growth and bud migration. Numerous filopodia connect all the cells, forming a complex cellular network. Our data suggest that stolonial budding is based on collective cell migration, a coordinated, directed movement of cell groups. The molecular basis of stolonial budding remains to be elucidated.