Hamacantha

{{Short description|Genus of sponges}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| taxon = Hamacantha

| authority = (Gray, 1867)

| type_species = Hamacantha johnsoni

| type_species_authority = (Bowerbank, 1864)

| subdivision_ranks = Subgenera and species

| subdivision = See text

| synonyms =

• Athnacama de Laubenfels, 1936
• Crellancistra de Laubenfels, 1936
• Evomerula de Laubenfels, 1936
• Hypsispongia de Laubenfels, 1935
• Vomerula Schmidt, 1880

| synonyms_ref = {{GBIF |id=2244434 |taxon=Hamacantha |access-date=21 July 2021}}

}}

Hamacantha is a genus of sponges in the family Hamacanthidae. This species in this genus differ from those in the other genera in this family through the presence of diancistras, distinctive microscleres.{{Cite book|last=Uriz|first=María Jesús|author-link=Maria Jesús Uriz|url=https://digital.csic.es/bitstream/10261/98603/3/Deep-water%20sponges%20from%20the%20continental%20shelf%20and%20slope%20of%20Namibia_1.pdf|title=Deep-water sponges from the continental shelf and slope of Namibia (south-west Africa). Classes Hexactinellida and Demospongiae|publisher=CSIC-Instituto de Ciencias del Mar (ICM)|year=1988}} These are thought to aid in framing the skeleton by joining monactine megascleres (that is megascleres that grow in only a single direction).{{Citation|last=Uriz|first=Maria J.|title=Silica Deposition in Demosponges|date=2003|url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-55486-5_7|work=Silicon Biomineralization: Biology — Biochemistry — Molecular Biology — Biotechnology|pages=163–193|editor-last=Müller|editor-first=Werner E. G.|series=Progress in Molecular and Subcellular Biology|place=Berlin, Heidelberg|publisher=Springer|language=en|doi=10.1007/978-3-642-55486-5_7|isbn=978-3-642-55486-5|access-date=2021-07-22|last2=Turon|first2=Xavier|last3=Becerro|first3=Mikel A.|url-access=subscription}} This genus contains 30 species in three subgenera.{{cite WoRMS |title=Hamacantha |id=131902 |access-date=21 July 2021}}