In this paper we report on recently collected specimens of glass sponges belonging to Farreidae Gray, 1872 and Tretodictyidae Schulze, 1886 (Porifera: Hexactinellida: Hexactinosida). All specimens represent new geographical records for their genera: Coral Sea for Aspidoscopulia Reiswig, 2002 (Farreidae) and Psilocalyx Ijima, 1927 (Tretodictyidae); W Atlantic for Sarostegia Topsent, 1904 (Farreidae). Two new species, Aspidoscopulia australia Dohrmann, Göcke & Janussen n. sp. and A. ospreya Dohrmann, Göcke & Janussen n. sp., are described. To further investigate the evolution of hexactinosidan sponges, we sequenced two nuclear (18S and 28S rDNA) and two mitochondrial (16S rDNA, COI) genes from these specimens, as well as from a new species of Lonchiphora Ijima, 1927 (Farreidae) that is described elsewhere. Besides corroborating monophyly of Tretodictyidae, our molecular phylogenetic analyses support a clade of clavule-bearing sponges with a farreoid dictyonal framework (i.e., Farreidae sensu stricto). In contrast, Sarostegia, which lacks these features, appears unrelated to this clade – instead our data are consistent with the original placement of this genus in Euretidae Zittel, 1877. We formally introduce the taxon Sceptrulophora Mehl, 1992, and emend the classification of Hexactinosida to reflect this move, as well as our new findings regarding the position of Sarostegia. Finally, we discuss implications of the molecular phylogeny for the evolution of sceptrules, the defining autapomorphy of Sceptrulophora.