Fig 1.
Participants of the Sponge Training Course of Martinique, December 2013.
Top, from left to right, S. Griffits, T. Pérez, J. Vacelet, M. Brassy, G. Tollu, E. García, C. Lejeusne, N. Boury-Esnault, M. Klautau, P. Chevaldonné, S. Chenesseau, S. Zea, C. Díaz, J. Chalifour, A. Ereskovsky, E. Tregarot, D. Tokina, E. Hajdu, R.W. Thacker, S. Pomponi, G. Lobo-Hajdu, L. Babarit, A. Pouget-Cuvelier. Bottom, from left to right, B. Cóndor-Luján, H. Fortunato, P. Leocorny, T. Immanuel, C. Ruiz, F. Azevedo, Ph. (Filipo) Thélamon, J. Massei, Z. Hoffman, J. Garcia-Hernandez, M. Łukowiak, A. Sokolova, P-Y. Pascal.
Fig 2.
Distribution of the studied sites.
C = Cave (dark, semi-dark caves, tunnels, overhangs), M = Mangrove, R = Reef (hard bottoms in general, including coral reefs).
Table 1.
Sponge species recorded in Martinique after the Sponge Training Course in 2013, and comparison with data from the CORANTILLES cruise (1983).
C = Cave (dark, semi-dark caves, tunnels, overhangs), M = Mangrove, R = Reef (hard bottoms in general, including coral reefs). Species marked by an * indicate new records for the Eastern Caribbean.
Fig 3.
Taxonomic distribution of Martinique sponge diversity.
Table 2.
New sponge species from Martinique which are currently under description.
Fig 4.
In situ photographs of some new records for the Eastern Caribbean Sea.
A) Plakina arletensis (white arrow) next to the first record of Tetralophophora mesoamericana (yellow arrow) in the Eastern Caribbean (“Grotte Chauve Souris”, Anses d’Arlet); B) The aspiculate Plakinidae Aspiculophora madinina (“Grotte Fer à Cheval”, Diamant); C, D) Two different Oscarella species which are new to science (“Grotte Couleur”, Anse d’Arlet); E) A spherical Aiolochroia sp. nov. and its associated sea-anemons (Diamond Rock tunnel); F) A delicately branching Haliclona sp. nov. growing on mangrove roots (Bay of Genipa, Lamentin); G) Leucetta floridina, a new record for the Eastern Carribean (“Grotte Couleur”, Anses d’Arlet); H) Ernstia sp. nov., a new Clathrinidae (“Grotte Couleur”, Anses d’Arlet), I) Leucilla sp. nov., a new Amphoriscidae (“Pointe Burgos, Anses d’Arlet). Pictures A,B,C,D,E,G,H,I by T. Pérez, and picture F by C. Díaz.
Fig 5.
In situ photographs of reef and rocky bottoms in Martinique.
A) Shallow rocky habitat where tubes of yellow Aplysina fistularis, large solid Agelas species, and patches of Halisarca caerulea mingle between the Sargassum sp. algae and the coral rubble. B) Massive sponge aggregations with at least six large sponge species (one large tube of Callyspongia plicifera, clumps of Iotrochota birotulata, Agelas spp., Aiolochroia crassa, Myrmekioderma rea, Amphimedon compressa), and stalk crinoids. C) The largest reef sponges the barrel sponge Xestospongia muta aggregates a large diversity of erect and repent species of Callyspongia, Niphates, Amphimedon and Iotrochota, massive Aiolochroia and Mycale, and thin crusts of Spirastrella. D) Extremely large tube clumps of Callyspongia plicifera reside among the varied set of tubular, rods, and massive shaped sponges that aggregate with polychaete worms, algae, and crinoids. All pictures by T. Pérez.
Fig 6.
In situ photographs of the sponge community growing on mangrove roots in Martinique.
A) Tedania ignis (the fire sponge) and Haliclona caerulea both exposed at low tide. B) Submerged specimen of Haliclona caerulea, above a mussel aggregate, and the air exposed zone of the red-mangrove root. C) Green algae (Caulerpa sp.), Haliclona caerulea and patches of Tedania ignis. D) Large root covered by algae, except areas where Spirastrella mollis and patches of Tedania ignis are seen. Picture A by C. Díaz and pictures B,C,D by T. Pérez.
Fig 7.
In situ photographs of cave community in Martinique.
A) A participant of the Sponge Training Course at the entrance of the Diamond Rock Tunnel; B) This semi-dark community dominated by sponges, with the new spherical Aiolochroia (white arrow); C) With reduced light, the species diversity decreases, but sponges, especially Homoscleromorpha (white arrows), are still dominant (Diamond Rock tunnel); D) In dark conditions, most sponge species are encrusting forms, such as the new Plakina arletensis (white arrow), but in some places big specimens of the lithistid Aciculites sp. (yellow arrow) can be found (Grotte Chauve-Souris, Anses d’Arlet). All pictures by T. Pérez.
Table 3.
List of the students and young researchers who attended the Sponge Training Course in December 2013.
FR France, BR, Brazil, CO, Colombia, IN, India, ME, Mexico, PE, Peru, PL, Poland, PR, Puerto Rico, RU, Russia, UK, United Kingdom,. PRO = professional, EDU = education, EX = private environmental expertise / consulting, SC = Scientist, AP = Assistant Professor, RA = Research Associate, RC = Researcher, GR = Graduate student, MS = Master’s student, PhD = Phd student, PDoc = Post-doctoral fellow, TECH = technician or engineer, MPA = Marine Protected Area. S+: previous experience with sponges; S-: no experience, beginner working with sponges.