''Acanthotetilla'' is a genus of
demosponge
Demosponges (Demospongiae) are the most diverse class in the phylum Porifera. They include 76.2% of all species of sponges with nearly 8,800 species worldwide (World Porifera Database). They are sponges with a soft body that covers a har ...
s belonging to the family
Tetillidae
Tetillidae is a family of marine sponges.
Tetillids are more or less spherical sponges (sometimes referred to as golf ball sponges) which are found commonly in all marine habitats at all depths throughout the world. They are especially common in ...
.
They are distinguished from others in the family by the presence of distinctive, heavily spined skeletal structures called "megacanthoxeas".
Species
There are seven species described in the genus:
* ''
Acanthotetilla celebensis''
de Voogd & van Soest, 2007 - Found in the Indian Ocean.
* ''
Acanthotetilla enigmatica''
(Lévi, 1964) - Found in the Indian Ocean.
* ''
Acanthotetilla gorgonosclera''
van Soest, 1977 - Found in the Atlantic Ocean near Barbados.
* ''
Acanthotetilla hemisphaerica''
Burton, 1959 - Found in the Indian Ocean.
* ''
Acanthotetilla rocasensis''
Peixinho, Fernandez, Oliveira, Caires & Hajdu, 2007
* ''
Acanthotetilla seychellensis''
(Thomas, 1973) - Found in the Indian Ocean.
* ''
Acanthotetilla walteri''
Peixinho, Fernandez, Oliveira, Caires & Hajdu, 2007
References
Systema Porifera
Spirophorida
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