Iophon is a genus of sponges belonging to the family Acarnidae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution.
Description This genus contains species with non-fistulose, massive, branching or encrusting growth forms. The ectosomal (outer) skeleton is made of tylotes (long, slender megascleres with knobs at both ends) with microspined bases. The choanosomal (inner) skeleton is a rounded, triangular or square-meshed network of smooth or spined choanosomal styles, arranged singly or with 2-3 per row. The microscleres include bipocilla and palmate anisochelae with spurs. Bipocilla are unique to this genus. They are modified anisochela in which the wing-like alae are joined together by a short curved shaft. Toxas are absent.
Species The following species are recognised:
Iophon abnormalis (Ridley & Dendy, 1886) Iophon aceratum (Hentschel, 1914) Iophon bipocillum (Aguilar-Camacho, Carballo & Cruz-Barraza, 2013) Iophon cheliferum (Ridley & Dendy, 1886) Iophon chilense (Desqueyroux-Faúndez & van Soest, 1996) Iophon cylindricum (Ridley & Dendy, 1886) Iophon dogieli (Koltun, 1955) Iophon dubium (Hansen, 1885) Iophon flabellodigitatum (Kirkpatrick, 1907) Iophon frigidum (Lundbeck, 1905) Iophon funis (Topsent, 1892) Iophon gaussi (Hentschel, 1914) Iophon hesperidesi (Rios, Cristobo & Urgorri, 2004) Iophon husvikense (Goodwin, Brewin & Brickle, 2012) Iophon hyndmani (Bowerbank, 1858) Iophon indentatus (Wilson, 1904) Iophon koltuni (Morozov, Sabirov & Zimina, 2019) Iophon laevistylus (Dendy, 1924) Iophon lamella (Wilson, 1904) Iophon laminale (Ridley & Dendy, 1886) Iophon methanophila (Cárdenas, 2019) Iophon minor (Brøndsted, 1924) Iophon nigricans (Bowerbank, 1858) Iophon omnivorus (Ridley & Dendy, 1887) Iophon ostiamagna (Wilson, 1904) Iophon parvachela (Esteves, de Paula, Lerner, Lôbo-Hajdu & Hajdu, 2018) Iophon piceum (Vosmaer, 1882) Iophon pictoni (Goodwin, Brewin & Brickle, 2011) Iophon pluricorne (Topsent, 1907) Iophon pommeraniae (Thiele, 1903) Iophon proximum (Ridley,1881) Iophon radiatum (Topsent, 1901) Iophon rayae (Bakus, 1966) Iophon roseum (Goodwin, Brewin & Brickle, 2016) Iophon semispinosum (Bergquist, 1961) Iophon spinulentum (Bowerbank, 1866) Iophon terranovae (Calcinai & Pansini, 2000) Iophon timidum (Desqueyroux-Faúndez & van Soest, 1996) Iophon tubiforme (Desqueyroux-Faúndez & van Soest, 1996) Iophon unicorne (Topsent, 1907) Iophon variopocillatum (Alander, 1942)
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