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Issue: Vol. 5613 No. 1: 26 Mar. 2025
Type: Article
Published: 2025-03-26
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5613.1.4
Page range: 99-125
Abstract views: 163
PDF downloaded: 34

New records and checklist of sponges from El Salvador (Eastern Tropical Pacific)

Universidad de El Salvador; El Salvador; Ciudad Universitaria; San Salvador; El Salvador. C.P. 01101; Centro de Investigación Marina y Limnológica; Universidad Francisco Gavidia; San Salvador; El Salvador. C.P. 01101
Laboratorio de Biología Marina; Departamento de Zoología; Facultad de Biología; Universidad de Sevilla; Avda. Reina Mercedes 6; 41012 Sevilla; España.
Centro de Investigación Marina y Limnológica; Universidad Francisco Gavidia; San Salvador; El Salvador. C.P. 01101; Universidad Francisco Gavidia; San Salvador; El Salvador. C.P. 01101.
Porifera Biodiversity Central America Los Cóbanos rocky reef marine sponges

Abstract

Sponges constitute an important component of the benthic community in coral and rocky reefs. Although they play many ecological roles and interact with diverse marine invertebrate and vertebrate organisms, little is known of the diversity of marine sponges in El Salvador. The present study is the first effort in the study of the biodiversity of shallow rocky reef sponges from Los Cóbanos, the largest reef system and the only marine protected area of the country. The ten species herein described represent the first sponge fauna on non-intertidal reefs up to 16 m depth: Axinella nayaritensis, Endectyon (Endectyon) hyle, Mycale (Carmia) cecilia, Mycale (Zygomycale) ramulosa, Tedania (Tedania) tropicalis and Cliona euryphylle. Haliclona (Soestella) caerulea and Aplysina chiriquiensis are new records for the country, while Callyspongia (Callyspongia) californica and Subera etiennei are new records for the Central America Pacific coast. In addition, a review of the records and distribution of sponges in El Salvador was carried out.

 

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How to Cite

Trejo, A., Carballo, J.L. & Segovia, J. (2025) New records and checklist of sponges from El Salvador (Eastern Tropical Pacific). Zootaxa, 5613 (1), 99–125. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5613.1.4