The World Porifera Database
The WPD, the World Database of all Recent sponges ever described, is part of the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), a global initiative to arrive at a register of all marine organisms.
The WPD is complementary to the Systema Porifera (editors Hooper & Van Soest, 2002),
the two volume comprehensive classification of all sponge taxa above the species level. It incorporates recent and future amendments of the sponge classification, including the recently proposed revision of Morrow & Cárdenas (2015).
|
|
Porifera news Sponges from El SalvadorAdded on: 2025-03-26 10:56:22 by van Soest, Rob W.M. Trejo, A.; Carballo, J.L.; Segovia, J. (2025) New records and checklist of sponges from El Salvador (Eastern Tropical Pacific). Zootaxa, 5613 (1): 099–125. ... Sponges associated with the decorator crab Macrocoeloma nodipesAdded on: 2025-03-12 16:24:13 by Cárdenas, Paco Hernández-Solis, P.A.; Priego-Martínez. I.; Ugalde, D.; León-Deniz, L.V. (2025) Sponges (Porifera) associated with the decorator crab Macrocoeloma nodipes (Desbonne in Desbonne & Schramm, 1867): three new records for Mexican waters. Check List 21(2): 255-263. ... A new species of Tubella (Porifera: Spongillidae) for the Brazilian AmazonAdded on: 2025-03-06 18:02:41 by Pinheiro, Ulisses Nunes, G.; Custódio, M.; & Pinheiro U. (2024). A new species of Tubella (Porifera: Spongillidae) for the Brazilian Amazon: how misidentification can mask a potential species complex. Acta Amaz. 54 (4). https://doi.org/10.1590/1809-4392202401873 ... A synopsis of Raspailia Nardo, 1833 (Porifera: Demospongiae: Axinellida) with the description of four new speciesAdded on: 2025-03-06 17:10:22 by Pinheiro, Ulisses Recinos, R.; Cavalcanti, T.; Hajdu, E.; Pinheiro, U. (2025). A synopsis of Raspailia Nardo, 1833 (Porifera: Demospongiae: Axinellida) from the tropical and warm-temperate Southwestern Atlantic, with the description of four new species. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 103: 1-23. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjz-2024-0088 ... New northernmost record of Clathria (Clathria) unicaAdded on: 2025-02-27 11:43:19 by Boury-Esnault, Nicole Pavón Novarin, M.; Meretta, P.; Genzano, G.; Schejter, L. (2025). New northernmost record of Clathria (Clathria) unica and updated records of Cliona aff. celata and Spongia (Spongia) magellanica in Mar del Plata, Argentina, SW Atlantic Ocean. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. 105, e28; 1-5. ...
[Add] [Older news... ]
|
|
The aim for the WPD is to be a catalogue of sponge species in a continuously updated, fully hierarchical system to promote stability of sponge names, to serve the community of users of sponge names, and to act as a tool for higher taxon revisions and regional monographs. A further aim is to be the world’s comprehensive database for sponge type specimens and other important vouchered specimens. Additional information we are making available are (overview) distributions of all species and unaccepted name combinations occurring in the literature.
In order to have adequate expert knowledge we have formed an editorial committee consisting of:
and the following specialist colleagues:
- Alvarez, Belinda: Porifera (Axinellida, Bubarida, Scopalinida, Suberitida)
- Boury-Esnault, Nicole: Porifera (Homoscleromorpha, Keratosa, Polymastiida, Verongimorpha, Mediterranean fauna)
- Cárdenas, Paco: Porifera (Tetractinellida)
- Díaz, Maria-Cristina: Thematic editor: Porifera (Caribbean fauna)
- Dohrmann, Martin: Porifera (Hexactinellida)
- Downey, Rachel: Porifera (Antarctic)
- Goodwin, Claire: Porifera (Southern Ocean and parts of the Canadian Arctic)
- Hajdu, Eduardo: Porifera (Biemnida, Desmacellida, Poecilosclerida, South American fauna)
- Hooper, John N.A.: Porifera (Poecilosclerida, Australian fauna)
- Kelly, Michelle: Thematic editor: Porifera (New Zealand fauna)
- Klautau, Michelle: Porifera (Calcarea)
- Lim, Swee Cheng: Porifera (Indo-Pacific)
- Manconi, Renata: Porifera (Spongillida, freshwater sponges)
- Morrow, Christine: Porifera (Heteroscleromorpha, North Atlantic fauna)
- Pinheiro, Ulisses: Porifera (Spongillida)
- Pisera, Andrzej B.: Porifera (desma-bearing and coralline sponges)
- Ríos, Pilar: Porifera (Poecilosclerida & thematic editor for Iberian and Northwest African regions)
- Rützler, Klaus: Porifera (Spirophorina)
- Schönberg, Christine: Porifera (Clionaida, Siphonodictyon, Thoosidae)
- Turner, Thomas: Thematic editor: Porifera (NE Pacific)
- Vacelet, Jean: Porifera (Cladorhizidae, carnivorous sponges)
- van Soest, Rob W.M.: Porifera (Previous chief editor 2004/2021)
- Xavier, Joana: Porifera (Atlantic)
Editors are responsible for entries, decision on validity of names. Corrections and omissions may be addressed to the relevant editor or the general editor.
|
|
|
Currently (2025), there are 9,736 valid species (marine + non-marine) in the database (among almost 20,000 taxon names).
Acceptance is an editorial decision, but we acknowledge such decisions need to be re-examined frequently in the light of new information. If you disagree with senior synonymy decisions or genus assignments, please let us have your - argumented - corrected assignment. More info.
|
Who is who in sponge science
This global address list reflects information collated through annual surveys posted on mailing lists (PoriferaList, CoraList and Skolithos) and by contacting some people directly. The information was collected and made available by Christine Schönberg.
Sponge conference materials
This is a record of abstracts, proceedings and other materials from sponge meetings and symposia. CitationUsage of data from the World Porifera Database in scientific publications should be acknowledged by citing as follows:
- de Voogd, N.J.; Alvarez, B.; Boury-Esnault, N.; Cárdenas, P.; Díaz, M.-C.; Dohrmann, M.; Downey, R.; Goodwin, C.; Hajdu, E.; Hooper, J.N.A.; Kelly, M.; Klautau, M.; Lim, S.C.; Manconi, R.; Morrow, C.; Pinheiro, U.; Pisera, A.B.; Ríos, P.; Rützler, K.; Schönberg, C.; Turner, T.; Vacelet, J.; van Soest, R.W.M.; Xavier, J. (2025). World Porifera Database. Accessed at https://www.marinespecies.org/porifera on 2025-03-26. doi:10.14284/359
If the data from the World Porifera Database constitute a substantial proportion of the records used in analyses, the chief editor(s) of the database should be contacted. There may be additional data which may prove valuable to such analyses.
Individual pages are individually authored and dated. These can be cited separately: the proper citation is provided at the bottom of each page.
|
