Estudi bionòmic de les comunitats de porífers del circalitoral i talús de Mallorca i Menorca

Abstract

[eng] Sponges are sessile, filtering organisms that play an important role in the benthonic assemblages worldwide. The Mediterranean Sea is considered a hotspot of sponge diversity, and since its shallower fauna is well-known, information about depths beyond 100 metres is scarce and fragmentary. The Balearic Islands contains rich ecosystems, with 158 sponge species already described, however this number is expected to increase as does the interest for the exploration of deeper communities. In this study, the sponge fauna of 20 stations from the circalittoral and the shelf break have been investigated through samples obtained during the MEDITS surveys. A total of 55 different taxa were recorded, 21 to the species level, 18 to the genera level and 16 to the family level. Some of the samples corresponding to depths beyond 100 metres were studied in detail and presented here as descriptive sheets. This study suggests the presence of eight species, Acarnus cf levii, Axinella cf vellerea, Rhizaxinella sp1, Rhizaxinella sp2, Clathria (Clathria) sp1, Coelosphaera (Histodermion) sp1, Characella sp1, Characella sp2, and one genus, Characella, not previously described in the Balearic Islands.