List of sponges of Venezuela
The sponges of Venezuela are a part of the Porifera fauna 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.
Marine sponges
Family AcarnidaeFamily AdociidaeSigmadocia caerulea Hechtel 1965
Family AplysinidaeAplysina archeri Aplysina caissara Pinheiro & Hajdu, 2001Aplysina cauliformis Aplysina fistularis Aplysina fulva Aplysina lacunosa
Family CallyspongiidaeCallyspongia arcesiosa Laubenfels, 1936Callyspongia vaginalis
Family ChalinidaeChalinula molitba
Family ChondrillidaeChondrilla caribensis Rützler, Duran & Piantoni, 2007Chondrilla nucula Smithdt 1862
Family ClionidaeCliona raphida Boury-Esnault, 1973Cliona varians
Family CoelosphaeridaeLissodendoryx
Family CrambeidaeMonanchora arbuscula
Family DarwinellidaeAplysilla glacialis Chelonaplysilla erecta Tsurnamal, 1967Darwinella rosacea Hechtel, 1965
Family DesmacididaeDesmapsamma anchorata
Family DesmacidonidaeLiosina monticulosa
Family DysideaDysidea etheria Laubenfels, 1936
Family DictyonellidaeScopalina ruetzleri
Family DysideidaeDysidea etheria Laubenfels, 1936
Family GeodiidaeGeodia gibberosa Lamarck, 1815Geodia papyracea Hechtel, 1965
Family GrantiidaeLeucandra aspera
Family HalichondriidaeAnthosigmella varians Halichondria magniculosa HechtelHalichondria melanadocia Laubenfels, 1936Topsentia ophiraphidites
Family HalicloniidaeHaliclona caerulea Haliclona crassiloba Laubenfels, 1950Haliclona curacaoensis Haliclona doria Laubenfels, 1936Haliclona implexiformis Haliclona magnifica de Weerdt, Rützler & Smith, 1991Haliclona manglaris Alcolado, 1984Haliclona permollis Haliclona picadaerensisHaliclona tubifera Haliclona twincayensis de Weerdt, Rützler & Smith, 1991 Haliclona viridis Niphastes variabilis Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864
Family HalisarcidaeHalisarca
Family HeteroxyidaeMyrmekioderma rea
Family HymedesmiidaePhorbas amaranthus Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864
Family IotrochotidaeIotrochota birotulata
Family IrciniidaeIrsinia fasciculata Ircinia felix Irsinia strobilina
Family MicrocionidaeArtemisina melana van Soest, 1984 Clathria ferrea Clathria venosa Hooper, 1996 Clathria microchela Clathria schoenus Clathria venosa Microciona Pandaros acanthifolium Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864
Family MycalidaeUlosa hispida Hechtel, 1965Mycale americana van Soest, 1984Mycale angulosa Mycale carmigropila Hajdu & Rützler, 1998Mycale citrina Hajdu & Rützler, 1998 Mycale laxissima Mycale magnirhaphidifera van Soest, 1984Mycale microsigmatosa Arndt, 1927
Family NiphatidaeAmphimedon compressa Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864 Amphimedon viridis Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864 Gelliodes ramosa Kieschnick, 1898Neopetrosia subtriangularis Niphates erecta Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864
Family OphlitaspongiidaeBiemna caribea Pulitzer-Finali, 1986 Biemna microstyla Laubenfels, 1950 Desmacella jania Verrill, 1907Desmacella meliorata Wiedenmayer, 1977
Family PetrosiidaeNeopetrosia subtriangularis
Family PhloeodictyidaeOceanapia nodosa
Family PlacospongiidaePlacospongia intermedia Sollas, 1888
Family SpirastrellidaeDesmacella jania
Family SpongiidaeSpongia pertusa Hyatt, 1877Spongia officinalis Linnaeus, 1759Spongia tubulifera Lamarck, 1814Spongia zimocca Schmidt, 1862
Family SuberitidaeProsuberites laughlini Suberites aurantiacus Terpios fugax Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864 Terpios zeteki Laubenfels 1936Terpios manglaris Rützler & Smith, 1993
Family SycettidaeSycon
Family TethyidaeTethya actinia de Laubenfels, 1950 Tethya seychellensis
Family TedaniideTedania ignis Lissodendoryx isodictyalis
Family TetillidaeCinachyrella apion Cinachyrella kuekenthali Cinachyrella tarentina
Family ThorectidaeHyrtios proteus Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864
- ''Hyrtios violaceus''
Freshwater sponges
Family Metaniidae Acalle recurvata Drulia browni Drulia conifera Boneto & Ezcurra de Drago, 1973Drulia cristata Drulia uruguayensis Boneto & Ezcurra de Drago, 1968Metania reticulataFamily PotamolepidaeOnosclera intermedia Onosclera navicella Onosclera spinifera Uruguaya corallioides
Family SpongillidaeCorvoheteromeyenia heterosclera Saturnospongilla carvalhoi Volkmer-Rivero, 1976Spongilla alba Carter, 1849Pottsiela spoliata Volkmer-Rivero & Maciel, 1983Trochospongilla gregaria Trochospongilla minuta
- ''Trochospongilla paulula''
Other references
- Álvarez, A. I. 1989. Establecimiento, desarrollo y mantenimiento de una comunidad epibentónica tropical. 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. Caracas: Escuela de Biología, Universidad Central de Venezuela.
- Pauls, S. 2003. “Esponjas.” In Biodiversidad en 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. Licenciate’s Thesis, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela.
- Ramírez, I. 2002. Taxonomía de Esponjas de la Laguna de Bocaripo, Estado Sucre, e Islote Caribe, Dependencia Federal, Venezuela. Licenciate’s Thesis, Universidad de Oriente, Cumaná.