Abstract
Deep-sea reefs and coral banks are increasingly known as highly biodiverse ecosystems where sponges constitute a significant proportion of builders and inhabitants. Albeit smaller in dimensions, Campos Basin coral mounds also harbor a rich associated fauna, whence only 16 species of sponges had been fully identified this far. Seven new species are described here, viz. Geodia garoupa sp. nov., Vulcanella stylifera sp. nov., Trachyteleia australis sp. nov., Echinostylinos brasiliensis sp. nov., Xestospongia kapne sp. nov., Sympagella tabachnicki sp. nov., and Leucopsacus barracuda sp. nov. Of the 24 species of sponges known from the area, only seven were found elsewhere too, thus suggesting a possible high endemism in Campos Basin. Nevertheless, the widespread occurrence of deep reef-framework building corals along a large sector of the Brazilian coast suggests these habitats and their associated fauna may be more widespread than currently appreciated. Echinostylinos patriciae nom. nov. is proposed for the New Zealand record of E. reticulatus.
Highlights
Knowledge of the deep sea sponges occurring off Brazil was gained over two important periods, firstly from the H.M.S
The present study reports seven new species collected in the deep waters of Campos Basin, including the first record of Trachyteleia [96], Echinostylinos [95], and Leucopsacus [35] for the South Atlantic Ocean
Campos Basin covers more than 100,000 km2 between the Vitória High (20.5°S) and the Cabo Frio High (24°S) on the Brazilian continental margin
Summary
Knowledge of the deep sea sponges occurring off Brazil was gained over two important periods, firstly from the H.M.S. Challenger expedition of 1873–1876, and secondly, from a still ongoing effort, that started over 100 years after the first, when a series of, mostly improvised, research ships went off for the first dredgings planned under Project REVIZEE in 1997. Challenger expedition of 1873–1876, and secondly, from a still ongoing effort, that started over 100 years after the first, when a series of, mostly improvised, research ships went off for the first dredgings planned under Project REVIZEE in 1997 This project organized several oceanographic expeditions until 2002, to be followed by Petrobras’ own efforts through several environmental assessment projects, namely OCEANPROF, CAP-BC, ECOPROF and HABITATS. Preliminary results on the sponges present in these deep sea collections were published by Hajdu [27], Hajdu and Lopes [28], Hajdu et al [30], Lavrado and Ignacio [42], Lopes and Hajdu [57, 58], Lopes et al [59,60,61], Menshenina et al [64], Muricy et al [65, 66], Oliveira and Hajdu [68], Rodriguez and Muricy [78], Tabachnick et al [90], Vieira et al [107]
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