Phorbas Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864

Vacelet, Jean & Perez, Thierry, 2008, Phorbas topsenti and Phorbas tailliezi (Demospongiae, Poecilosclerida), new names for the Mediterranean ‘ Phorbas paupertas ’ and ‘ Phorbas coriaceus ’, Zootaxa 1873, pp. 26-38 : 27

Genus Phorbas Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864

Diagnosis: Thickly encrusting, massive or ramose sponges. Pores grouped in sieve-plates (areolae). Ectosomal skeleton with a crust of isochelae and diactinal spicules which form fans disposed at right angles and tangential to the surface; heavily spined acanthostyles core plumose or plumo-reticulate choanosomal tracts, or these may be replaced by smooth diactinal tornotes; echinating acanthostyles also heavily spined; microscleres are arcuate isochelae and sigmas, both of which may be absent. About 70 species. (From van Soest, 2002).

Type species: Phorbas amaranthus Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864 (by subsequent designation; de Laubenfels, 1936a: 63).