Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 3, 2026

Hamacantha

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. These are thought to aid in framing the skeleton by joining monactine megascleres. This genus contains 30 species in three subgenera.

Last revised
Jul 3, 2026
Read time
≈ 2 min
Length
404 w
Citations
5
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Hamacantha
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Porifera
Class: Demospongiae
Order: Merliida
Family: Hamacanthidae
Genus: Hamacantha
(Gray, 1867)
Type species
Hamacantha johnsoni
(Bowerbank, 1864)
Subgenera and species

See text

Synonyms1
  • Athnacama de Laubenfels, 1936
  • Crellancistra de Laubenfels, 1936
  • Evomerula de Laubenfels, 1936
  • Hypsispongia de Laubenfels, 1935
  • Vomerula Schmidt, 1880

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.2 These are thought to aid in framing the skeleton by joining monactine megascleres (that is megascleres that grow in only a single direction).3 This genus contains 30 species in three subgenera.4

Species

The following species are recognised:4

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)
References

References

  1. "Hamacantha". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  2. Uriz, María Jesús (1988). Deep-water sponges from the continental shelf and slope of Namibia (south-west Africa). Classes Hexactinellida and Demospongiae (PDF). CSIC-Instituto de Ciencias del Mar (ICM).
  3. Uriz, Maria J.; Turon, Xavier; Becerro, Mikel A. (2003), "Silica Deposition in Demosponges", in Müller, Werner E. G. (ed.), Silicon Biomineralization: Biology — Biochemistry — Molecular Biology — Biotechnology, Progress in Molecular and Subcellular Biology, Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer, pp. 163–193, doi:10.1007/978-3-642-55486-5_7, ISBN 978-3-642-55486-5, retrieved 2021-07-22
  4. "Hamacantha". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 21 July 2021.