''Ectyonopsis'' is a genus of
demosponges in the family
Myxillidae
Myxillidae is a family of marine 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). The ...
. They are mostly known from the waters surrounding
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
and from the
Southern Ocean.
Description
This species was originally created for ''Ectyonopsis ramosa'', an Australian species with acanthostyles (spiny styles (
spicules
Spicules are any of various small needle-like anatomical structures occurring in organisms
Spicule may also refer to:
*Spicule (sponge), small skeletal elements of sea sponges
*Spicule (nematode), reproductive structures found in male nematodes ( ...
with end pointed and the other rounded)) and acanthostrongyles (spiny strongyles (megascleres with both ends rounded)) that form a choanosomal isotropic structure.
The genus ''Ectyonancora'', which contained two South African species with acanthostyles, acanthostrongyles, ectosomal tornotes (spicules with both ends sharply pointed), and isochelae spicules (spicules with both ends alike) with protruding processes, was later synonymised with this genus.
All the species in this genus share several features. The tornotes are smooth with triangular/sharply pointed ends. Thick, heavily spined styles are isotopically reticulated and are covered by thick acanthostyles. The microscleres are robust isochelae with processes and broad rounded ends.
Species
The following species are recognised:
* ''
Ectyonopsis flabellata'' (Lévi, 1963)
* ''
Ectyonopsis hartmani'' (Bakus, 1966)
* ''
Ectyonopsis panis'' (Boury-Esnault & van Beveren, 1982)
* ''
Ectyonopsis pluridentata'' (Lévi, 1963)
* ''
Ectyonopsis ramosa'' Carter, 1883
* ''
Ectyonopsis ruthae'' (Mothes & Lerner, 1995)
* ''
Ectyonopsis sigmata'' Aguilar-Camacho & Carballo, 2012
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5382276
Demospongiae
Sponge genera