''Halichondria'' is a genus of
sea 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 th ...
s belonging to the family
Halichondriidae.
[A systematic revision of the central West Atlantic: Halichondrida (Demospongiae, Porifera). Part III: Description of valid species]
/ref>
These are massive, amorphous sponges with clearly separated inner and outer skeletons consisting of bundles of spicule
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 ( ...
s arranged in a seemingly random pattern.
This genus of sponges became important through the discovery of cell division
Cell division is the process by which a parent cell divides into two daughter cells. Cell division usually occurs as part of a larger cell cycle in which the cell grows and replicates its chromosome(s) before dividing. In eukaryotes, there ar ...
limiting properties of the extract Halichondrin B
Halichondrin B is a polyether macrolide originally isolated from the marine sponge ''Halichondria okadai'' by Hirata and Uemura in 1986. In the same report, these authors also reported the exquisite anticancer activity of halichondrin B against m ...
, which inhibits cell mitosis. The drug Eribulin
Eribulin, sold under the brand name Halaven, is an anticancer medication used to treat breast cancer and liposarcoma.
The most common side effects include fatigue, nausea, hair loss (alopecia), constipation, certain nerve damage causing weaknes ...
, a related compound and an inhibitor of microtubule function, has become an important chemotherapy
Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs ( chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemothe ...
treatment for certain types of cancer.[
]
Species
The following species are recognised in the genus ''Halichondria'':Halichondria sitiens
''Halichondria sitiens'' is a species of sea 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 po ...
'' (Schmidt, 1870)
* Subgenus ''Halichondria'' Fleming, 1828
** '' Halichondria adelpha'' de Laubenfels, 1954
** '' Halichondria agglomerans'' Cabioch, 1968
** ''Halichondria aldabrensis
''Halichondria aldabrensis'' is a species of sea 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 o ...
'' Lévi, 1961
** '' Halichondria almae'' (Carballo, Uriz & García-Gómez, 1996)
** '' Halichondria arenacea'' Dendy, 1895
** '' Halichondria arenosa'' Hentschel, 1929
** ''Halichondria axinelloides
''Halichondria axinelloides'', is a species of sea 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 ...
'' Swartschewsky, 1906
** ''Halichondria bowerbanki
''Halichondria bowerbanki'', commonly known as the yellow sun sponge, is a species of sea sponge in the family Halichondriidae. It is found on rocky surfaces in the shallow subtidal, with occasional intertidal specimens under overhanging rocks. ...
'' Burton, 1930
** ''Halichondria brondstedi
''Halichondria'' is a genus of sea sponges belonging to the family Halichondriidae.
These are massive, amorphous sponges with clearly separated inner and outer skeletons consisting of bundles of spicules arranged in a seemingly random pattern.
...
'' De Laubenfels, 1936
** ''Halichondria brunnea
''Halichondria'' is a genus of sea sponges belonging to the family Halichondriidae.
These are massive, amorphous sponges with clearly separated inner and outer skeletons consisting of bundles of spicules arranged in a seemingly random pattern.
...
'' (Schmidt, 1868)
** ''Halichondria cancellosa
''Halichondria'' is a genus of sea sponges belonging to the family Halichondriidae.
These are massive, amorphous sponges with clearly separated inner and outer skeletons consisting of bundles of spicules arranged in a seemingly random pattern.
...
'' (Carter, 1886)
** ''Halichondria capensis
''Halichondria'' is a genus of sea sponges belonging to the family Halichondriidae.
These are massive, amorphous sponges with clearly separated inner and outer skeletons consisting of bundles of spicules arranged in a seemingly random pattern.
...
'' Samaai & Gibbons, 2005
** ''Halichondria carotenoidea
''Halichondria'' is a genus of sea sponges belonging to the family Halichondriidae.
These are massive, amorphous sponges with clearly separated inner and outer skeletons consisting of bundles of spicules arranged in a seemingly random pattern.
...
'' Alvarez & Hooper, 2011
** ''Halichondria cartilaginea
''Halichondria'' is a genus of sea sponges belonging to the family Halichondriidae.
These are massive, amorphous sponges with clearly separated inner and outer skeletons consisting of bundles of spicules arranged in a seemingly random pattern.
...
'' (Esper, 1794)
** ''Halichondria cebimarensis
''Halichondria'' is a genus of sea sponges belonging to the family Halichondriidae.
These are massive, amorphous sponges with clearly separated inner and outer skeletons consisting of bundles of spicules arranged in a seemingly random pattern.
...
'' Carvalho & Hajdu, 2001
** ''Halichondria coerulea
''Halichondria'' is a genus of sea sponges belonging to the family Halichondriidae.
These are massive, amorphous sponges with clearly separated inner and outer skeletons consisting of bundles of spicules arranged in a seemingly random pattern.
...
'' Bergquist, 1967
** ''Halichondria colossea
''Halichondria'' is a genus of sea sponges belonging to the family Halichondriidae.
These are massive, amorphous sponges with clearly separated inner and outer skeletons consisting of bundles of spicules arranged in a seemingly random pattern.
...
'' Lundbeck, 1902
** '' Halichondria contorta'' (Sarà, 1961)
** ''Halichondria convolvens
''Halichondria'' is a genus of sea sponges belonging to the family Halichondriidae.
These are massive, amorphous sponges with clearly separated inner and outer skeletons consisting of bundles of spicules arranged in a seemingly random pattern.
...
'' Sarà, 1960
** '' Halichondria cornuloides'' Burton, 1954
** '' Halichondria cristata'' Sarà, 1978
** '' Halichondria cylindrata'' Tanita & Hoshino, 1989
** '' Halichondria darwinensis'' Hooper, Cook, Hobbs & Kennedy, 1997
** '' Halichondria diazae'' Van Soest & Hooper, 2020
** '' Halichondria diversispiculata'' Burton, 1930
** '' Halichondria dubia'' (Czerniavsky, 1880)
** '' Halichondria elenae'' Gastaldi, De Paula, Narvarte, Lôbo-Hajdu & Hajdu, 2018
** '' Halichondria fallax'' (Marshall, 1892)
** '' Halichondria flexuosa'' (Sarà, 1978)
** '' Halichondria foetida'' (Wilson, 1894)
** '' Halichondria foraminosa'' (Czerniavsky, 1880)
** '' Halichondria fragilis'' Kieschnick, 1896
** '' Halichondria gageoenesis'' Kang & Sim, 2008
** '' Halichondria genitrix'' (Schmidt, 1870)
** '' Halichondria gilvus'' Samaai & Gibbons, 2005
** '' Halichondria glabrata'' Keller, 1891
** '' Halichondria heterorrhaphis'' Breitfuss, 1912
** '' Halichondria intermedia'' Brøndsted, 1924
** '' Halichondria isthmica'' (Keller, 1883)
** '' Halichondria japonica'' (Kadota, 1922)
** '' Halichondria knowltoni'' Bergquist, 1961
** '' Halichondria labiata'' Hentschel, 1929
** '' Halichondria lambei'' Brøndsted, 1933
** '' Halichondria lendenfeldi'' Lévi, 1961
** '' Halichondria leuconoides'' Topsent, 1890
** '' Halichondria longispicula'' (Czerniavsky, 1880)
** '' Halichondria lutea'' Alcolado, 1984
** '' Halichondria magniconulosa'' Hechtel, 1965
** '' Halichondria marianae'' Santos, Nascimento & Pinheiro, 2018
** '' Halichondria melanadocia'' Laubenfels, 1936
** '' Halichondria membranacea'' (Sarà, 1978)
** '' Halichondria microbiana'' Alvarez & Hooper, 1911
** '' Halichondria migottea'' Carvalho & Hajdu, 2001
** '' Halichondria minuta'' Keller, 1891
** '' Halichondria modesta'' (Pulitzer-Finali, 1986)
** '' Halichondria moorei'' Bergquist, 1961
** '' Halichondria muanensis'' Kang & Sim, 2008
** '' Halichondria nigrocutis'' (Carter, 1886)
** '' Halichondria normani'' Burton, 1930
** '' Halichondria oblonga'' (Hansen, 1885)
** '' Halichondria okada'' (Kadota, 1922)
** '' Halichondria osculum'' Lundbeck, 1902
** '' Halichondria oshoro'' Tanita, 1961
** '' Halichondria oxiparva'' (Sarà, 1978)
** '' Halichondria panicea'' (Pallas, 1766)
** '' Halichondria papillaris'' (Pallas, 1766)
** '' Halichondria pelliculata'' Ridley & Dendy, 1886
** '' Halichondria phakellioides'' Dendy & Frederick, 1924
** '' Halichondria poa'' (de Laubenfels, 1947)
** '' Halichondria pontica'' (Czerniavsky, 1880)
** '' Halichondria prostrata'' Thiele, 1905
** '' Halichondria punctata'' Bergquist, 1970
** '' Halichondria renieroides'' (Fristedt, 1887)
** '' Halichondria semitubulosa'' (Lamarck, 1814)
** '' Halichondria solidior'' (Schmidt, 1870)
** '' Halichondria stylata'' Diaz, Pomponi & Van Soest, 1993
** '' Halichondria suberosa'' (Esper, 1794)
** '' Halichondria sulfurea'' Carvalho & Hajdu, 2001
** '' Halichondria surrubicunda'' Hoshino, 1981
** '' Halichondria syringea'' Pulitzer-Finali, 1996
** '' Halichondria tenebrica'' Carvalho & Hajdu, 2001
** '' Halichondria tenuiramosa'' Dendy, 1922
** '' Halichondria tenuispiculata'' Brøndsted, 1916
** '' Halichondria turritella'' (Schmidt, 1870)
** '' Halichondria velamentosa'' (Hansen, 1885)
* Subgenus unassigned
** ''Halichondria albescens'' sensu Johnston, 1842
** '' Halichondria flava'' (Merejkowski, 1878)
** '' Halichondria hongdoenesis'' Kang & Sim, 2008
** '' Halichondria kelleri'' Van Soest & Hooper, 2020
** '' Halichondria lona'' Laubenfels, 1936
** '' Halichondria magellanica'' Dendy, 1924
** '' Halichondria ulleungensis'' Kang & Sim, 2008
References
Halichondrida
{{demosponge-stub
