A systematic study of the shallow water sponges of Port Royal has added 54 species to the Jamaican faunal list, of which 16 are new. One new genus, Neofibularia, is proposed for the preoccupied Fibularia Carter. The new species are Darwinella rosacea, Haliclona hogarthi, Adocia implexiforT7iis, Adocia albifragilis, Pellina coelijormis, Sigmadocia caerulea, Callyspongia pallida, Halichondria magniconulosa, Microciona microchela, Microciona rarispinosa, Thalyseurypon conulosa, Ulosa hispida, Diplastrella megastellata, Geodia (Cydonium) papyracea, Erylus ministrongylus, and Corticium tetralophum. The use of field characteristics on the species level is discussed. The classification of de Laubenfels (1936a) is utilized, with several modifications. The Adociidae are transferred to the Haplosclerida, and Lundbeck's family Mycalidae is used in place of de Laubenfels' Amphilectidae. A review of the taxonomy and distribution of each species is presented. The zoogeographical afiinities of the Jamaican sponge fauna are noted. |
