''Acarnus'' is a genus of
sponge
Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a basal animal clade as a sister of the diploblasts. They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate through t ...
s belonging to the family
Acarnidae
Acarnidae is a family of sponges belonging to the order Poecilosclerida. It has a global distribution, although several genera occur primarily in colder temperate waters, and several have very restricted ranges. It is estimated that there are seve ...
.
The genus has almost
cosmopolitan distribution
In biogeography, cosmopolitan distribution is the term for the range of a taxon that extends across all or most of the world in appropriate habitats. Such a taxon, usually a species, is said to exhibit cosmopolitanism or cosmopolitism. The ext ...
(except Europe).
Description
Species are non-fistulose sponges with encrusting to massive growth forms. They have ectosomal tylotes (long, slender
megascleres with knobs at both ends) with microspined ends. These form tangential or paratangential tracts.
The choanosomal skeleton is isodictyal (triangular mesh in which each side is one spicule long), isotropic (no differentiation into primary or secondary tracts, lines or fibers), or anisotropic (primary and secondary tracts, lines or fibers). In encrusting species, it may occasionally be plumose (skeletal structures radiate from primary fibres or spicule tracts) or hymedesmioid (monoaxon megascleres arranged singly with the heads fixed to a spongin base and the points directed outwards).
The skeletal tracts are covered with smooth styles, which may be spined by cladotylotes. Cladotylotes are unique to this genus. They are monoaxon megascleres with at least one hooked end. The other end may also have hooks, or it may be a pronounced smooth knob. The microscleres are palmate isochelae and several forms of toxas.
Species
The following species are recognised:
*''
Acarnus bergquistae
''Acarnus'' is a genus of sponges belonging to the family Acarnidae
Acarnidae is a family of sponges belonging to the order Poecilosclerida. It has a global distribution, although several genera occur primarily in colder temperate waters, and se ...
''
(van Soest, Hooper & Hiemstra, 1991)
*''
Acarnus bicladotylotus''
(Hoshino, 1981)
*''
Acarnus caledoniensis''
(Hooper & Lévi, 1993)
*''
Acarnus claudei''
(van Soest, Hooper & Hiemstra, 1991)
*''
Acarnus deweerdtae''
(van Soest, Hooper & Hiemstra, 1991)
*''
Acarnus erithacus
Acarnus erithacus is a species of sponge of the genus ''Acarnus
''Acarnus'' is a genus of sponges belonging to the family Acarnidae. The genus has almost cosmopolitan distribution (except Europe).
Description
Species are non-fistulose sponge ...
''
(de Laubenfels, 1927)
*''
Acarnus guentheri''
(Dendy, 1896)
*''
Acarnus hoshinoi''
(van Soest, Hooper & Hiemstra, 1991)
*''
Acarnus innominatus''
(Gray, 1867)
*''
Acarnus levii''
(Vacelet, 1960)
*''
Acarnus michoacanensis''
(Aguilar-Camacho, Carballo & Cruz-Barraza, 2013)
*''
Acarnus nicoleae''
(van Soest, Hooper & Hiemstra, 1991)
*''
Acarnus oaxaquensis
''Acarnus'' is a genus of sponges belonging to the family Acarnidae. The genus has almost cosmopolitan distribution (except Europe).
Description
Species are non-fistulose sponges with encrusting to massive growth forms. They have ectosomal tylo ...
''
(Aguilar-Camacho, Carballo & Cruz-Barraza, 2013)
*''
Acarnus peruanus''
(van Soest, Hooper & Hiemstra, 1991)
*''
Acarnus primigenius''
(Hiemstra & Hooper, 1991)
*''
Acarnus radovani''
(Boury-Esnault, 1973)
*''
Acarnus sabulum''
(Aguilar-Camacho, Carballo & Cruz-Barraza, 2013)
*''
Acarnus souriei''
(Lévi, 1952)
*''
Acarnus tener''
(Tanita, 1963)
*''
Acarnus tenuis''
(Dendy, 1896)
*''
Acarnus ternatus''
(Ridley, 1884)
*''
Acarnus thielei''
(Lévi, 1958)
*''
Acarnus topsenti''
(Dendy, 1922)
*''
Acarnus tortilis''
(Topsent, 1892)
*''
Acarnus toxeata''
(Boury-Esnault, 1973)
*''
Acarnus wolffgangi''
(Keller, 1889)
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q4118110
Poecilosclerida
Sponge genera
Demospongiae