Ancorinidae

Rolling sponge Stelletta clavosa, copyright Ria Tan.

Belongs within: Democlavia.

The Ancorinidae are a diverse and poorly-defined group of demosponges with major spicules composed of oxeas (rods terminally tapering to a point) and/or triaenes (rods with ends divided into three).

Characters (from Uriz 2002): Skeleton with long-rhabdome triaenes, which may be reduced or absent, and oxeas. Microscleres are euasters, sanidasters or microrhabds.

Ancorinidae
    |--Psammastra conulosa Kieschnick 1896 BJ06
    |--Pachamphilla dendyi Hentschel 1912 BJ06
    |--Penares sollasi Thiele 1900 BJ06
    |--Holoxea valida Thiele 1900 BJ06
    |--Melophlus sarassinorum Thiele 1899 FV09
    |--Ancorina cordicata (Carter 1879) W04
    |--Asteropus simplex (Carter 1879) MG-H11
    |--Tethyopsis MG-H11
    |--Tribrachium MG-H11
    |--Ecionemia MG-H11
    |    |--E. cinerea Thiele 1900 BJ06
    |    `--E. cribrosa Thiele 1900 BJ06
    |--Rhabdastrella MG-H11
    |    |--R. distincta (Thiele 1900) [=Coppatias distinctus] BJ06
    |    `--R. globostellata (Carter 1883) FV09
    |--Jaspis MG-H11
    |    |--J. splendens (de Laubenfels 1954) FV09
    |    `--J. topsenti Thiele 1900 BJ06
    `--Stelletta Schmidt 1862 [incl. Anthastra Sollas 1886, Myriastra Sollas 1886, Pilochrota Sollas 1886] BJ06
         |--S. aruensis Hentschel 1912 BJ06
         |--S. brunnea Thiele 1900 [=S. (Pilochrota) brunnea] BJ06
         |--S. clavosa Ridley 1884 FV09
         |--S. debilis Thiele 1900 [=S. (Myriastra) debilis] BJ06
         |--S. ternatensis Thiele 1900 [=S. (Myriastra) ternatensis] BJ06
         `--S. variohamata Thiele 1900 [=S. (Anthastra) variohamata] BJ06

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[BJ06] Barnich, R., & D. Janussen. 2006. Die Typen und Typoide des Naturmuseums Senckenberg, Nr. 86. Type catalogue of the Porifera in the collections of the Senckenberg Museum in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Senckenbergiana Biologica 86 (2): 127–144.

[FV09] Fromont, J., & M. A. Vanderklift. 2009. Porifera (sponges) of Mermaid, Scott and Seringapatam Reefs, north Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 77: 89–103.

[MG-H11] McEnnulty, F. R., K. L. Gowlett-Holmes, A. Williams, F. Althaus, J. Fromont, G. C. B. Poore, T. D. O'Hara, L. Marsh, P. Kott, S. Slack-Smith, P. Alderslade & M. V. Kitahara. 2011. The deepwater megabenthic invertebrates on the western continental margin of Australia (100–1100 m depths): composition, distribution and novelty. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 80: 1–191.

Uriz, M. J. 2002. Family Ancorinidae Schmidt, 1870. In: Hooper, J. N. A., & R. W. M. Van Soest. 2002. Systema Porifera: A guide to the classification of sponges pp. 108–126. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers: New York.

[W04] Williams, J. D. 2004. Reproduction and morphology of Polydorella (Polychaeta: Spionidae), including the description of a new species from the Philippines. Journal of Natural History 38: 1339–1358.