Genus Antho Gray, 1867

Museums

Regional Maps

Taxonomic Decision for Subgeneric Arrangement

• Hooper, J.N.A. in Hooper, J.N.A. & Wiedenmayer, F. 1994. Porifera. pp. 1-620 in Wells, A. (ed.). Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Melbourne : CSIRO Australia Vol. 12 xiii 624 pp. [Date published 21/Nov/1994] [255]

Distribution

States

New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia

IBRA and IMCRA regions

IMCRA

Northwest Shelf Province (27), Central Western Shelf Transition (28), Central Western Shelf Province (29), Southwest Shelf Transition (30), Southwest Shelf Province (31), Great Australian Bight Shelf Transition (32), Spencer Gulf Shelf Province (33), Southeast Shelf Transition (37), Central Eastern Shelf Province (38), Northwest Province (4), Northeast Shelf Province (40), Northeast Shelf Transition (41), Central Western Transition (5)

Diagnosis

Encrusting, massive, bulbous, lobate, digitate and flabellate growth forms; skeleton with 2 distinct components: (1) primary basal or axial) renieroid choanosomal skeleton replacing usual microcionid choanosomal skeleton, composed of acanthostyles and/ or acanthostrongyles; (2) secondary (extra-axial, subectosomal) skeleton composed of smooth choanosomal styles forming dendritic, plumose, subisodictyal or plumo-reticulate tracts, or simply echinating main spicule tracts; secondary skeleton usually arising from nodes of renieroid skeleton, or ascending upwards from basal spongin fibres, with or without axial compression; spongin fibres relatively poorly developed; additional category of echinating acanthostyles present or absent; ectosomal skeleton tangential, paratangential or plumose tracts of 1 or 2 categories of auxiliary styles; microscleres diverse forms of isochelae and toxas.

ID Keys

See Family Microcionidae Diagnosis.

Diagnosis References

Hooper, J.N.A. 2002. Family Microcionidae Carter, 1875. pp. 432-468 in Hooper, J.N.A. & van Soest, R.W.M. (eds). Systema Porifera: A guide to the classification of sponges. New York : Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers Vol. 1. [455]

History of changes