The sponge fauna of the Mediterranean stands as one of the most studied in the world; however, our knowledge remains limited, particularly in poorly explored areas such as caves and the deep sea. In a recent publication by researchers Julio A. Díaz, Francesc Ordines, Enric Massuti and Paco Cárdenas, eight new species of the order Tetractinellida have been discovered—six from the Balearic Islands and two from the North Atlantic. Beyond this unexpectedly high number of newly species, the researchers have also identified and re-described over 30 other Tetractinellida species, some of which very poorly known, having been collected only once or twice in the past. The work also inquires into the evolutionary connections between the deep sea and littoral caves sponges, as well as those between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean.
This collaborative effort between the Spanish Institute of Oceanography and Uppsala University is funded by the Life IP INTEMARES and SponBIODIV projects. The findings not only contribute significantly to our understanding of sponge biodiversity but also provide compelling reasons to include the Mallorca Channel seamounts in the Natura 2000 Network. Furthermore, this research establishes a baseline knowledge of Tetractinellida biodiversity in the Atlanto-Mediterranean region.
Díaz, J. A., Ordines, F., Massutí, E., & Cárdenas, P. (2024). From caves to seamounts: the hidden diversity of tetractinellid sponges from the Balearic Islands, with the description of eight new species. PeerJ, 12, e16584. https://peerj.com/articles/16584
