Lithistid sponges of the upper bathyal of Madeira, Selvagens and Canary Islands, with description of a new species

F. Cavalho, S.A. Pomponi, J.R. Xavier*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

22 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Desma-bearing sponges, also known as lithistids or rock sponges, are a group typical of bathyal environments throughout tropical and warm-temperate regions. In this study the lithistids collected in the course of the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute eastern Atlantic 1991 campaign to Madeira, Selvagens and the Canary Islands were identified and assigned to eight species, representing eight genera and five families. Several constitute new records for these islands and one is a new species of Isabella, a genus thus far only known from the Norfolk Ridge in New Caledonia, that is here described and illustrated. Some considerations are made in regards to the diversity and biogeographical affinities of the Atlanto-Mediterranean lithistid sponges.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1287-1296
JournalJournal of the Marine Biological Association of The United Kingdom
Volume95
Issue numbersp.issue 7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2015

Keywords

  • biogeography
  • deep-sea
  • diversity
  • Macaronesian islands
  • Porifera

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Lithistid sponges of the upper bathyal of Madeira, Selvagens and Canary Islands, with description of a new species'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this