Hamacantha Explained

Hamacantha is a genus of sponges in the family Hamacanthidae. This species in this genus differ from those in the other genera in this family through the presence of diancistras, distinctive microscleres.^[1] These are thought to aid in framing the skeleton by joining monactine megascleres (that is megascleres that grow in only a single direction). This genus contains 30 species in three subgenera.^[2]

Species

The following species are recognised:^[2]

Subgenus Hamacantha (Hamacantha) (Gray, 1867)

• Hamacantha (Hamacantha) boomerang (Hajdu & Castello-Branco, 2014)
• Hamacantha (Hamacantha) hortae Santín, (Grinyó Uriz & Gili &, 2021)
• Hamacantha (Hamacantha) johnsoni (Bowerbank, 1864)
• Hamacantha (Hamacantha) lundbecki (Topsent, 1904)
• Hamacantha (Hamacantha) schmidtii (Carter, 1882)
• Hamacantha (Hamacantha) simplex (Burton, 1959)

Subgenus Hamacantha (Vomerula) Schmidt, 1880

• Hamacantha (Vomerula) acerata (Lévi, 1993)
• Hamacantha (Vomerula) agassizi (Topsent, 1920)
• Hamacantha (Vomerula) atoxa (Lévi, 1993)
• Hamacantha (Vomerula) azorica (Topsent, 1904)
• Hamacantha (Vomerula) bowerbanki (Lundbeck, 1902)
• Hamacantha (Vomerula) carteri (Topsent, 1904)
• Hamacantha (Vomerula) cassanoi (Lehnert & Stone, 2016)
• Hamacantha (Vomerula) esperioides (Ridley & Dendy, 1886)
• Hamacantha (Vomerula) falcula (Bowerbank, 1874)
• Hamacantha (Vomerula) forcipulata (Lévi, 1993)
• Hamacantha (Vomerula) integra (Topsent, 1904), Fibrous sponge
• Hamacantha (Vomerula) jeanvaceleti (Castello-Branco & Hajdu, 2018)
• Hamacantha (Vomerula) klausruetzleri (Castello-Branco & Hajdu, 2018)
• Hamacantha (Vomerula) mamoi (Ise, Woo, Tan & Fujita, 2019)
• Hamacantha (Vomerula) megancistra (Pulitzer-Finali, 1978)
• Hamacantha (Vomerula) microxifera (Lopes & Hajdu, 2004)
• Hamacantha (Vomerula) mindanaensis (Wilson, 1925)
• Hamacantha (Vomerula) papillata (Vosmaer, 1885)
• Hamacantha (Vomerula) popana (de Laubenfels, 1935)
• Hamacantha (Vomerula) tenda (Schmidt, 1880)
• Hamacantha (Vomerula) tibicen (Schmidt, 1880)
• Hamacantha (Vomerula) umisachii (Ise, Woo, Tan & Fujita, 2019)

Subgenus Hamacantha (Zygherpe) (Laubenfels, 1932)

• Hamacantha (Zygherpe) desmacelloides (Hajdu, Hooker & Willenz, 2015)
• Hamacantha (Zygherpe) hyaloderma (Laubenfels, 1932)

Notes and References

1. Book: Uriz, María Jesús. Maria Jesús Uriz. Deep-water sponges from the continental shelf and slope of Namibia (south-west Africa). Classes Hexactinellida and Demospongiae. CSIC-Instituto de Ciencias del Mar (ICM). 1988.
2. Hamacantha . 131902 . 21 July 2021.