Volume 24, Issue 74, July - December, 2023

Diversity of Marine Sponges and their associated organisms in Fanar Ibn Hani Marine Protected Area (Latakia, Syria)

Izdihar Ali Ammar^1♦, Ahmad Ibrahim Kara Ali¹, Khalil Ahmad Ibrahim²

¹Department of Marine Biology, HIMR, Tishreen University, Latakia, Syria
²Department of Marine Chemistry, HIMR, Tishreen University, Latakia, Syria

^♦Corresponding author
Professor, Department of Marine Chemistry, HIMR, Tishreen University, Latakia, Syria

ABSTRACT

Sponges and associated organisms had studied in Fanar Ibn Hani Marine Protected Area, northern of Latakia, during the period 2020-2022, Free diving and underwater photography were conducted at depths ranging from 2 to 10 meters on site. Analysing the photographs allowed us to identify fifteen species of sponges (two of Calcarea and thirteen of Demospongia). These species are: Clathrina clathrus (Schmidt, 1864), Clathrina coriacea (Montagu, 1814), Chondrosia reniformis (Nardo, 1847), Spirastrella cunctatrix Schmidt, 1868, Axinella polypoides (Schmidt, 1862), Crambe crambe (Schmidt, 1862), Petrosia ficiformis (Poiret, 1979), Spongia officinalis (Linnaeus, 1758), Hippospongia communes (Lamark, 1814), Sarcotragus foetidus Schmidt, 1862, Sarcotragus spinusulus Schmidt, 1862, Ircinia strobilina (Lamarck, 1816), Aplysina insularis (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1864) and two different species of the genus Ircinia. Most of these species are nonoindigenous and recorded for the first time in the current study, polychaetes, red sponges, and bryozoans. Distinguished occurrence of alien sea slugs in the sponge's habitat.

Keywords: Demospongia, Eastern Mediterrenean, Marine biodiversity, Marine Protected Area, Natural stock, Non-Indigenous Species (NIS), Porifera, Sponges, Syrian coast.

Species, 2023, 24(74), e82s1591

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v24i74.e82s1591

Published: 25 October 2023