Genus Latrunculia Bocage, 1869

Museums

Regional Maps

• Latrunculia Bocage, J.V. Barboza du 1869. Eponges siliceuses nouvelles de Portugal et de l'île Saint-Iago (archipel du Cap-vert). Journal de Sciencias Mathematicas, Physicas e Naturaes, Lisboa 2: 159-161 pls 10-11 [161].

  Type species:

   Latrunculia cratera Bocage, 1869 by monotypy.

  Secondary source:

   Hooper, J.N.A. 1986. Revision of the marine sponge genus Axos Gray (Demospongiae: Axinellida) from Northwest Australia. The Beagle. Occasional Papers of the Northern Territory Museum of Arts and Sciences 3(1): 167-189 pl. 1 [181].

 

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• Bergquist, P.R. 1968. The marine fauna of New Zealand: Porifera, Demospongiae, Part 1 (Tetractinomorpha and Lithistida). Bulletin of the New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research 188: 1-105 15 pls 30 figs

 

Distribution

States

New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria

Extra Distribution Information

Arctic, Atlantic Ocean, West Indian region, Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Indian Ocean, Indo-Malyan region, Japan, New Zealand, Subantarctic and Antarctic.

IBRA and IMCRA regions

IMCRA

Western Bass Strait Shelf Transition (34), Bass Strait Shelf Province (35), Southeast Shelf Transition (37), Central Eastern Shelf Province (38)

Other Regions

Australian Antarctic Territory

Distribution References

Diagnosis

Encrusting to massive oval-shaped sponge with raised trumpetlike or mammiform oscular fistules and areolate porefields; surface velvety to the touch; texture is very cake-like, dense but compressible. Colour in life deep brownish-black or dark green, sometimes tinged with deep blue, in preservative specimens always retain their dark pigmentation. The choanosomal architecture consists of monactinal or rarely diactinal spicules arranged in an irregular, polygonal, large-meshed reticulation formed by wispy tracts of spicules, which lack spongin reinforcement. There is no distinction between primary and secondary tracts. The ectosomal skeleton is a tangential layer of choanosomal megascleres, being somewhat plumose at the base of the ectosome. Megascleres are typically smooth and sinuous, occasionally polytylote anisostyles to which terminally spined styles or diactinal spicules may be added. Microscleres are anisodiscorhabds. Aciculodiscorhabds, amphiaster- like microscleres, and acanthomicroxeas are present in one or other of two species. Microscleres are disposed in a palisade in the outer ectosome. Where known sponges are viviparous. Latrunculia spp. produce pyrroloquinoline alkaloids discorhabdins and their derivatives.

 

ID Keys

See Family Latrunculiidae Diagnosis.

 

Diagnosis References

Kelly, M. & Samaai, T. 2002. Family Latrunculiidae Topsent, 1922. pp. 708-720 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. [713]

 

History of changes

Published	As part of group	Action Date	Action Type	Compiler(s)
29-Mar-2018		15-Dec-2011	MOVED
29-Mar-2018		13-Apr-2011	MODIFIED
		12-Feb-2010	(import)