Three deep water sponges from the Eastern Mediterranean and their associated Fauna

Three species of sponges were collected off the Israeli Mediterranean coast from a depth of 830 m: Bubaris sarayisp. nov., described here, Sarcotragus cf. muscatum, and Ircinia cf. retidermata. The sponge cavities contained the polychaetes Harmothoespinifera, Ceratonereis costae, Leonnatesjousseaumei, and the snapping shrimp Synalpheusgambarelloides. The sponge surface was encrusted with the serpulid tubeworm Hydroidesheteroceros. Leonnatesjousseaumeiand H. heteroceros are Lessepsian migrants, and L. jousseaumei is recorded from the Mediterranean for the first time. For all the species, the present finding constitutes a great extension of their known depth range; this is also the first record of Lessepsian migrants from great depths. It is suggested that in the deep water soft-bottom environment, sponges are porous hard-substrate microhabitat islands, providing associated fauna with shelter, and possibly also a continuous flow of water with suspended matter.