Iophon cheliferum

Iophon cheliferum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Porifera
Class:	Demospongiae
Order:	Poecilosclerida
Family:	Acarnidae
Genus:	Iophon
Species:	I. cheliferum
Binomial name
	Iophon cheliferum; Ridley & Dendy, 1886
Synonyms [1]
	Iophon chelifer Ridley & Dendy, 1886 ;

Last updated September 10, 2019

Iophon cheliferum, also known as the white reticulated sponge, is a species of sea sponge which lives on the bottom of the ocean. It is a deep water species found in the south eastern Pacific Ocean and South Africa.

In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. Other ways of defining species include their karyotype, DNA sequence, morphology, behaviour or ecological niche. In addition, paleontologists use the concept of the chronospecies since fossil reproduction cannot be examined.

Distribution

Iophon cheliferum is found in deep water on the continental shelf of South Africa and Namibia, the Agulhas Bank off the southern tip of Africa, the Crozet Islands and Prince Edward Islands.^[1] It was first described by Ridley and Dendy from the over 4000 new species collected during the Challenger expedition of 1873-1976 which was the first expedition to study deep water organisms and the ocean depths.^[2] A variety, Iophon cheliferum var. californiana de Laubenfels, 1932 is found in the Galapagos Islands and north west Pacific but this has been synonymized with Iophon lamella.^[3]

A continental shelf is a portion of a continent that is submerged under an area of relatively shallow water known as a shelf sea. Much of the shelves were exposed during glacial periods and interglacial periods. The shelf surrounding an island is known as an insular shelf.

The Agulhas Bank is a broad, shallow part of the southern African continental shelf which extends up to 250 km (160 mi) south of Cape Agulhas before falling steeply to the abyssal plain.

The Crozet Islands are a sub-antarctic archipelago of small islands in the southern Indian Ocean. They form one of the five administrative districts of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands.

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References

1 2 van Soest, Rob (2013). Van Soest RW, Boury-Esnault N, Hooper JN, Rützler K, de Voogd NJ, de Glasby BA, Hajdu E, Pisera AB, Manconi R, Schoenberg C, Janussen D, Tabachnick KR, Klautau M, Picton B, Kelly M, Vacelet J (eds.). "Iophon cheliferum Ridley & Dendy, 1886". World Porifera database. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 2013-05-23.
↑ Ridley, S.O.; Dendy, A. (1886). "Preliminary Report on the Monaxonida collected by H.M.S. Challenger". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 18 (5): 325–351, 470–493. doi:10.1080/00222938609459982.
↑ WoRMS (2013). "Iophon lamella Wilson, 1904". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 2013-05-23.

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[WoRMS-1] 1 2 van Soest, Rob (2013). Van Soest RW, Boury-Esnault N, Hooper JN, Rützler K, de Voogd NJ, de Glasby BA, Hajdu E, Pisera AB, Manconi R, Schoenberg C, Janussen D, Tabachnick KR, Klautau M, Picton B, Kelly M, Vacelet J (eds.). "Iophon cheliferum Ridley & Dendy, 1886". World Porifera database. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 2013-05-23.

[2] Ridley, S.O.; Dendy, A. (1886). "Preliminary Report on the Monaxonida collected by H.M.S. Challenger". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 18 (5): 325–351, 470–493. doi:10.1080/00222938609459982.

[WoRMS2-3] WoRMS (2013). "Iophon lamella Wilson, 1904". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 2013-05-23.