''Halichondria'' is a genus of
sea sponge
Sponges or sea sponges are primarily marine invertebrates of the animal phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), a basal clade and a sister taxon of the diploblasts. They are sessile filter feeders that are bound to the seabed, and are o ...
s belonging to the family
Halichondriidae
Halichondriidae is a family of sea sponges belonging to the order Suberitida.
These sponges have a skeleton consisting of dense bundles of spicule (sponge), spicules occurring in a more or less random pattern.
Genera
The following genera are rec ...
.
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 (biology), 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 eukar ...
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 ...
, which inhibits cell mitosis
Mitosis () is a part of the cell cycle in eukaryote, eukaryotic cells in which replicated chromosomes are separated into two new Cell nucleus, nuclei. Cell division by mitosis is an equational division which gives rise to genetically identic ...
. The drug Eribulin
Eribulin, sold under the brand name Halaven among others, is an anti-cancer medication used to treat breast cancer and liposarcoma.
The most common side effects include fatigue, nausea, hair loss (alopecia), constipation, certain nerve damage ...
, a related compound and an inhibitor of microtubule
Microtubules are polymers of tubulin that form part of the cytoskeleton and provide structure and shape to eukaryotic cells. Microtubules can be as long as 50 micrometres, as wide as 23 to 27 nanometer, nm and have an inner diameter bet ...
function, has become an important chemotherapy
Chemotherapy (often abbreviated chemo, sometimes CTX and CTx) is the type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (list of chemotherapeutic agents, chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) in a standard chemotherapy re ...
treatment for certain types of cancer.[
]
Species
The following species are recognised in the genus ''Halichondria'':Halichondria aldabrensis
''Halichondria aldabrensis'' is a species of sea sponge belonging to the family Halichondriidae.
References
Halichondrida
Animals described in 1961
{{Demosponge-stub ...
'' 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 or sea sponges are primarily marine invertebrates of the animal phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), a basal clade and a sister taxon of the diploblasts. They are s ...
'' 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 spicule (sponge), spicules arranged in a seemingly ...
'' 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 spicule (sponge), spicules arranged in a seemingly ...
'' Bergquist, 1967
** '' Halichondria colossea'' Lundbeck, 1902
** '' Halichondria contorta'' (Sarà, 1961)
** '' Halichondria convolvens'' 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
''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.
T ...
'' 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
''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.
...
'' Laubenfels, 1936
** '' Halichondria membranacea'' (Sarà, 1978)
** '' Halichondria microbiana'' Alvarez & Hooper, 1911
** ''Halichondria migottea
''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 spicule (sponge), spicules arranged in a seemingly ...
'' 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 okadai'' (Kadota, 1922)
** '' Halichondria osculum'' Lundbeck, 1902
** '' Halichondria oshoro'' Tanita, 1961
** '' Halichondria oxiparva'' (Sarà, 1978)
** ''Halichondria panicea
''Halichondria panicea'', commonly known as the breadcrumb sponge, is a species of sea sponge belonging to the family Halichondriidae. It is an abundant sponge of coastal areas of the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea ranging from the inte ...
'' (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
''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.
...
'' 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