List of sponges of Venezuela

{{Short description|none}} {{Wildlife of Venezuela}} The sponges of Venezuela are a part of the Porifera fauna of Venezuela (which is part of the wildlife of Venezuela).

A number of species of sponges are found in the wild in Venezuela.

This is a partial list of the marine and freshwater sponges of Venezuela. The families are listed alphabetically within the classes.

== Statistics == {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" ! Environment ! Nº of Families ! Nº of Genera ! Nº of Species |- text align="center" | | Marine species | 39 | 54 | 100 |- text align="center" | |Freshwater species | 3 | 10 | 17 |- text align="center" | | Total | 42 | 64 |117 |- |}

* Acarnus<ref name="Sutherland. 1980">Sutherland, J.P. 1980: Dynamics of the epibenthic community on roots of the mangrove ''Rhizophora mangle'', at Bahia de Buche, Venezuela. Marine Biology, 58:75-84. [https://doi.org/10.1007%2FBF00386882 PDF]</ref>

Family Adociidae * ''Sigmadocia caerulea'' Hechtel 1965<ref name="Díaz y col, 1985">Díaz, Humberto., Bevilacqua, Marina. y Bone, David. 1985. Esponjas del Parque Nacional Morrocoy. Fondo Editorial Acta Científica Venezolana. Caracas. 64p.</ref>

Family Aplysinidae * ''Aplysina archeri'' (Higgin, 1875)<ref name="MBUCV-XX">Catálogo de la colección de Porifera del Museo de Biología de la Universidad Central (MBUCV-XX)</ref><ref name="Villamizar y Laughlin 1991">Villamizar, E. and R. A. Laughlin. 1991. Fauna associated with the sponges Aplysina archeri and Aplysina lacunosa in a coral reef of the Archipielago de Los Roques, National Park, Venezuela. Pages 522–542 in J. Reitner and H. Keupp, eds. Fossil and recent sponges. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.</ref> * ''Aplysina caissara'' Pinheiro & Hajdu, 2001<ref name="Fundación La Tortuga">Venezuelatuya.com: Esponjas Marinas por Fundación La Tortuga. http://www.venezuelatuya.com/natura/esponjasmarinas.htm </ref> * ''Aplysina cauliformis'' (Carter, 1882)<ref name="MBUCV-XX"/> * ''Aplysina fistularis'' (Pallas, 1766)<ref name="Pompa y Lin 1980">Pompa M, Luis A. y Lin, Alan L. 1980: Carotenoides de algunas demospongias (Porifera) de la Bahía de Mochima, Edo. Sucre, Venezuela. Boletín del Instituto Oceanográfico Universidad de Oriente 19(1-2):9-14.</ref><ref name="Amaro y Liñero 2002">Amaro, María E. y Liñero-Arana, Ildefonso. 2002: Demospongiae (Porifera) de Isla Larga, bahía de Mochima, Venezuela. Boletín del Instituto Oceanográfico de Venezuela 41(1-2):45=53. [http://ri.biblioteca.udo.edu.ve/bitstream/123456789/1165/1/05-DEMOSPONGIAE%20PORIFERA.pdf PDF] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426011211/http://ri.biblioteca.udo.edu.ve/bitstream/123456789/1165/1/05-DEMOSPONGIAE%20PORIFERA.pdf |date=2012-04-26 }}</ref><ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"> María Cristina Díaz and Klaus Rützler 2009: Biodiversity and abundance of sponges in Caribbean mangrove: indicators of environmental quality. Smithsonian Contributions to the Marine Sciences, 38:151-172. [http://www.si.edu/marinescience/pdf/SCMS_Diazetal.pdf PDF] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324065219/http://www.si.edu/marinescience/pdf/SCMS_Diazetal.pdf |date=2012-03-24 }}</ref> * ''Aplysina fulva'' (Pallas, 1766)<ref name="MBUCV-XX"/> * ''Aplysina lacunosa'' (Lamarck, 1814)<ref name="MBUCV-XX"/><ref name="Villamizar y Laughlin 1991"/>

Family Callyspongiidae * ''Callyspongia arcesiosa'' Laubenfels, 1936<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> * ''Callyspongia vaginalis'' (Lamarck, 1814)<ref name="MBUCV-XX"/><ref name="Pompa y Lin 1980"/>

Family Chalinidae * ''Chalinula molitba'' (Laubenfels, 1949)<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> Family Chondrillidae * ''Chondrilla caribensis'' Rützler, Duran & Piantoni, 2007<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> * ''Chondrilla nucula'' Smithdt 1862<ref name="Díaz y col, 1985"/><ref name="Pompa y Lin 1980"/><ref name="Amaro y Liñero 2002"/>

Family Clionidae * ''Cliona raphida'' Boury-Esnault, 1973<ref name="Díaz y col, 1985"/><ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> * ''Cliona varians'' (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864)<ref name="Amaro y Liñero 2002"/>

Family Coelosphaeridae * ''Lissodendoryx'' <ref name="Sutherland. 1980"/>

Family Crambeidae * ''Monanchora arbuscula'' (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864)<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> Family Darwinellidae * ''Aplysilla glacialis'' (Merejkowski, 1878)<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> * ''Chelonaplysilla erecta'' Tsurnamal, 1967<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> * ''Darwinella rosacea'' Hechtel, 1965<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/>

Family Desmacididae * ''Desmapsamma anchorata'' (Carter, 1882)<ref name="MBUCV-XX"/><ref name="Compagnone y col. 1999"/><ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/>

Family Desmacidonidae * ''Liosina monticulosa'' (Verrill, 1907)<ref name="Díaz y col, 1985"/>

Family Dysidea * ''Dysidea etheria'' Laubenfels, 1936<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/>

Family Dictyonellidae * ''Scopalina ruetzleri'' (Wiedenmayer, 1977)<ref name="Amaro y Liñero 2002"/>

Family Dysideidae * ''Dysidea etheria'' Laubenfels, 1936<ref name="MBUCV-XX"/>

Family Geodiidae * ''Geodia gibberosa'' Lamarck, 1815<ref name="Díaz y col, 1985"/><ref name="Sutherland. 1980"/><ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> * ''Geodia papyracea'' Hechtel, 1965<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/>

Family Grantiidae * ''Leucandra aspera'' (Schmidt, 1862)

Family Halichondriidae * ''Anthosigmella varians'' (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864)<ref name="Díaz y col, 1985"/> * ''Halichondria magniculosa'' Hechtel<ref name="Díaz y col, 1985"/> * ''Halichondria melanadocia'' Laubenfels, 1936<ref name="Amaro y Liñero 2002"/><ref name="Sutherland. 1980"/> * ''Topsentia ophiraphidites'' (Laubenfels, 1934)<ref name="Díaz y col 1987">Díaz, M.C.; Alvarez, B.; van Soest, R.W.M. 1987. New species of Demospongiae (Porifera) from the national park 'Archipiélago de Los Roques', Venezuela. Bijdragen tot de Dierkunde 57 (1): 31-41. </ref>

Family Halicloniidae * ''Haliclona caerulea'' (Hechtel, 1965)<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> * ''Haliclona crassiloba'' Laubenfels, 1950<ref name="Díaz y col, 1985"/> * ''Haliclona curacaoensis'' (van Soest, 1980)<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> * ''Haliclona doria'' Laubenfels, 1936<ref name="Díaz y col, 1985"/> * ''Haliclona implexiformis'' (Hechtel, 1965)<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> * ''Haliclona magnifica'' de Weerdt, Rützler & Smith, 1991<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> * ''Haliclona manglaris'' Alcolado, 1984<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> * ''Haliclona permollis'' (Bowerbank, 1866)<ref name="Díaz y col, 1985"/> * ''Haliclona picadaerensis''<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> * ''Haliclona tubifera'' (George & Wilson, 1919)<ref name="Sutherland. 1980"/><ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> * ''Haliclona twincayensis'' de Weerdt, Rützler & Smith, 1991<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> * ''Haliclona viridis'' (Keller, 1889) <ref name="Díaz y col, 1985"/> * ''Niphastes variabilis'' Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864<ref name="Díaz y col, 1985"/>

Family Halisarcidae * ''Halisarca''<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/>

Family Heteroxyidae * ''Myrmekioderma rea'' (de Laubenfels, 1934)<ref name="Díaz y col 1987"/>

Family Hymedesmiidae * ''Phorbas amaranthus'' Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864<ref name="Fundación La Tortuga"/>

Family Iotrochotidae * ''Iotrochota birotulata'' (Higgin, 1877)<ref name="MBUCV-XX"/>

Family Irciniidae * ''Irsinia fasciculata'' (Pallas, 1766)<ref name="Díaz y col, 1985"/><ref name="Pompa y Lin 1980"/> * ''Ircinia felix'' (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864)<ref name="MBUCV-XX"/><ref name="Amaro y Liñero 2002"/><ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> * ''Irsinia strobilina'' (Lamarck, 1816)<ref name="Díaz y col, 1985"/><ref name="MBUCV-XX"/><ref name="Pompa y Lin 1980"/><ref name="Amaro y Liñero 2002"/><ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/>

Family Microcionidae * ''Artemisina melana'' van Soest, 1984<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> * ''Clathria ferrea'' (de Laubenfels, 1936)<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> * ''Clathria venosa'' Hooper, 1996<ref name="Sutherland. 1980"/> * ''Clathria microchela'' (Stephens, 1916)<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> * ''Clathria schoenus'' (Laubenfels, 1936)<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> * ''Clathria venosa'' (Alcolado, 1984)<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> * ''Microciona''<ref name="Díaz y col, 1985"/> * ''Pandaros acanthifolium'' Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864<ref name="MBUCV-XX"/><ref name="Sutherland. 1980"/>

Family Mycalidae * ''Ulosa hispida'' Hechtel, 1965<ref name="Díaz y col, 1985"/> * ''Mycale americana'' van Soest, 1984<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> * ''Mycale angulosa'' (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864)<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> * ''Mycale carmigropila'' Hajdu & Rützler, 1998<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> * ''Mycale citrina'' Hajdu & Rützler, 1998<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> * ''Mycale laxissima'' (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864)<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> * ''Mycale magnirhaphidifera'' van Soest, 1984<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> * ''Mycale microsigmatosa'' Arndt, 1927<ref name="MBUCV-XX"/><ref name="Amaro y Liñero 2002"/><ref name="Compagnone y col. 1999">Reinaldo S. Compagnone, Maria C. Oliveri, Ivette C. Piña, Sheila Marques, Héctor R. Rangel, Fracehulli Dagger, AlÍrica I. Suárez & Matilde Gómez. 1999: 5-Alkylpyrrole-2-Carboxaldehydes From the Caribbean Sponges ''Mycale Microsigmatosa'' and ''Desmapsamma Anchorata''. Natural Product Letters, 13(3) :203=211.</ref><ref name="Sutherland. 1980"/>

Family Niphatidae * ''Amphimedon compressa'' Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> * ''Amphimedon viridis'' Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864<ref name="Amaro y Liñero 2002"/> * ''Gelliodes ramosa'' Kieschnick, 1898<ref name="Pompa y Lin 1980"/> * ''Neopetrosia subtriangularis'' (Duchassaing, 1850) <ref name="Pompa y Lin 1980"/> * ''Niphates erecta'' Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864<ref name="Sutherland. 1980"/><ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/>

Family Ophlitaspongiidae * ''Biemna caribea'' Pulitzer-Finali, 1986<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> * ''Biemna microstyla'' Laubenfels, 1950<ref name="Díaz y col, 1985"/> * ''Desmacella jania'' Verrill, 1907<ref name="Díaz y col, 1985"/> * ''Desmacella meliorata'' Wiedenmayer, 1977<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/>

Family Petrosiidae * ''Neopetrosia subtriangularis'' (Duchassaing, 1850)<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/>

Family Phloeodictyidae * ''Oceanapia nodosa'' (George & Wilson, 1919)<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/>

Family Placospongiidae * ''Placospongia intermedia'' Sollas, 1888<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/>

Family Spirastrellidae * ''Desmacella jania''<ref name="Sutherland. 1980"/>

Family Spongiidae thumb|150px|Spongia officinalis * ''Spongia pertusa'' Hyatt, 1877<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> * ''Spongia officinalis'' Linnaeus, 1759<ref name="Díaz y col, 1985"/> * ''Spongia tubulifera'' Lamarck, 1814<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> * ''Spongia zimocca'' Schmidt, 1862<ref name="Díaz y col, 1985"/>

Family Suberitidae * ''Prosuberites laughlini'' (Díaz, Álvarez & van Soest, 1987)<ref name="Díaz y col 1987"/><ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> * ''Suberites aurantiacus'' (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864)<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> * ''Terpios fugax'' Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864<ref name="Sutherland. 1980"/> * ''Terpios zeteki'' Laubenfels 1936<ref name="Díaz y col, 1985"/> * ''Terpios manglaris'' Rützler & Smith, 1993<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/>

Family Sycettidae * ''Sycon''<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/>

Family Tethyidae * ''Tethya actinia'' de Laubenfels, 1950<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> * ''Tethya seychellensis'' (Wright, 1881)<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/>

Family Tedaniide * ''Tedania ignis'' (Duchassaing & Michelotti 1864)<ref name="Díaz y col, 1985"/><ref name="MBUCV-XX"/><ref name="Sutherland. 1980"/> * ''Lissodendoryx isodictyalis'' (Carter, 1882)<ref name="Díaz y col, 1985"/><ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/>

Family Tetillidae * ''Cinachyrella apion'' (Uliczka, 1929)<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> * ''Cinachyrella kuekenthali'' (Uliczka, 1929)<ref name="Amaro y Liñero 2002"/> * ''Cinachyrella tarentina'' (Pulitzer-Finali, 1983) <ref name="Pompa y Lin 1980"/>

Family Thorectidae * ''Hyrtios proteus'' Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864<ref name="Díaz &. Rützler 2009"/> * ''Hyrtios violaceus'' (Duchassaing & Michelotti 1864)<ref name="MBUCV-XX"/>

==Freshwater sponges== Family Metaniidae * ''Acalle recurvata'' (Bowerbank, 1863) <ref name="Volkmer-Ribeiro y col 2000">{{aut|Volkmer-Ribeiro, Cecilia.}} y {{aut|Pauls, Sheila M.}} 2000: Esponjas de agua dulce (Porifera, Desmopongiae) de Venezuela. Acta Biologica Venezuelica, 20(1):1-28</ref> * ''Drulia browni'' (Bowerbank, 1863)<ref name="Volkmer-Ribeiro y col 2000"/> * ''Drulia conifera'' Boneto & Ezcurra de Drago, 1973<ref name="Volkmer-Ribeiro y col 2000"/> * ''Drulia cristata'' (Weltner, 1895)<ref name="Volkmer-Ribeiro y col 2000"/> * ''Drulia uruguayensis'' Boneto & Ezcurra de Drago, 1968<ref name="Volkmer-Ribeiro y col 2000"/> * ''Metania reticulata'' (Bowerbank, 1863)<ref name="Volkmer-Ribeiro y col 2000"/>

Family Potamolepidae * ''Onosclera intermedia'' (Boneto & Ezcurra de Drago, 1973)<ref name="Volkmer-Ribeiro y col 2000"/> * ''Onosclera navicella'' (Carter, 1881)<ref name="Volkmer-Ribeiro y col 2000"/> * ''Onosclera spinifera'' (Boneto & Ezcurra de Drago, 1973)<ref name="Volkmer-Ribeiro y col 2000"/> * ''Uruguaya corallioides'' (Bowerbank, 1863)<ref name="Volkmer-Ribeiro y col 2000"/>

Family Spongillidae * ''Corvoheteromeyenia heterosclera'' (Ezcurra de drago, 1974)<ref name="Volkmer-Ribeiro y col 2000"/> * ''Saturnospongilla carvalhoi'' Volkmer-Rivero, 1976<ref name="Volkmer-Ribeiro y col 2000"/> * ''Spongilla alba'' Carter, 1849<ref name="Volkmer-Ribeiro y col 2000"/> * ''Pottsiela spoliata'' Volkmer-Rivero & Maciel, 1983<ref name="Volkmer-Ribeiro y col 2000"/> * ''Trochospongilla gregaria'' (Bowerbank, 1863)<ref name="Volkmer-Ribeiro y col 2000"/> * ''Trochospongilla minuta'' (Postt, 1887)<ref name="Volkmer-Ribeiro y col 2000"/> * ''Trochospongilla paulula'' (Bowerbank, 1863)<ref name="Volkmer-Ribeiro y col 2000"/>

==References== {{reflist}}

===Other references=== * Álvarez, A. I. 1989. Establecimiento, desarrollo y mantenimiento de una comunidad epibentónica tropical. [Settlement, Development and Maintenance of a Tropical Epibenthic Community.] Licenciate’s Thesis, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela. * Diaz, M. C., S. Pauls, E. Villamizar, A. Alvizu, M. E. Amaro, M. Cellamare, S. Grune, I. Hernández, S. Narciso, A. Pérez, J. Pérez, I. Ramírez, R. Ramos, M. P. Romero, and P. Young. 2003. Porifera Biodiversity in Nueva Esparta, Venezuela: Common Species from La Restinga and Cabugua Island. Abstract. The Twin Cays Mangrove Ecosystem, Belize: Biodiversity, Geological History, and Two Decades of Change. Report from a Workshop, Smithsonian Marine Station, Fort Pierce, Florida, December 2003. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. * Pauls, S. 1998. Estudio Sistemático y Biodiversidad de Porifera y Cnidaria en la Bahía de la P. N. Henri Pittier. [Systematic and Diversity Study of Porifera and Cnidaria of the Ciénaga de Ocumare de la Costa Bay, Henri Pittier National Park.] Caracas: Escuela de Biología, Universidad Central de Venezuela. * Pauls, S. 2003. “Esponjas.” In Biodiversidad en Venezuela. [“Sponges.”In Biodiversity of Venezuela.], ed. M. Aguilera, A. Azocar, and E. Gonzales, pp. 210– 219. Caracas, Venezuela: Polar Foundation and Ministry of Science and Technology. * Pérez, A. 2007. Biodiversidad y Estructura Comunitaria de Poriferos Asociados a Raíces del Manglar, Rhizophora mangle, en el P. N. Laguna de La Restinga, Nueva Esparta, Venezuela. [Biodiversity and Community Structure of Porifers Associated to Mangrove Roots, Rizophora mangle, in Laguna de La Restinga National Park, Nueva Esparta, Venezuela.] Licenciate’s Thesis, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela. * Ramírez, I. 2002. Taxonomía de Esponjas (Porifera: Demospongiae) de la Laguna de Bocaripo, Estado Sucre, e Islote Caribe, Dependencia Federal, Venezuela. [Taxonomy of the Sponges (Porifera: Demospongiae) of Bocaripo Lagoon, Estado Sucre, and Caribe Island, Dependencia Federal, Venezuela.] Licenciate’s Thesis, Universidad de Oriente, Cumaná.

==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20120426062353/http://fishingdown.org/conference/belize/Belize_Scientific_papers/Diaz_etal2001_lp.pdf M. Cristina Diaz and Klaus Rützler. 2001: Sponges: an essential component of Caribbean coral reefs. Bulletin of Marine Science, 69(2): 535–546] * [http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=558 World Register of Marine Species (Worms)] * [http://www.marinespecies.org/porifera/ World Porifera database]

===Videos=== * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzlwAzsgKQc Diving Los Roques HD / Buceo Los Roques HD / Mergulho Los Roques HD]

Venezuela, List Poriferans Sponges Category:Lists of invertebrates