An Annotated and Illustrated Identification Guide to Common Mesophotic Reef Sponges (Porifera, Demospongiae, Hexactinellida, and Homoscleromorpha) Inhabiting Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary and Vicinities

In Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary region within the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, sponges thrive among diverse biological and geological habitats between 16–200+ m deep (i.e., coral reefs and communities, algal nodules, and coralline algae reefs, mesophotic reefs, patch reefs, scarps, ridges, soft substrate, and rocky outcrops).

Inventory of the Eastern Bering Sea sponge Fauna, Geographic Range Extensions and Description of Antho ridgwayi sp. nov.

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A total of 493 sponges were collected with a bottom trawl during annual groundfish stock assessment surveys in the eastern Bering Sea in 2013, 2015, and 2016 to build an inventory of species in this largely unexplored region. We report here principally on the demosponge fauna collected during those surveys because identifications of hexactinellids are incomplete. We identified 42 unique demosponge taxa from the collection including geographical range extensions for 30 species; seven are new records for the Pacific Ocean.

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West Coast Wraps Up Exciting 4-Year Deep-Sea Coral Initiative

The effort has greatly improved our understanding of deep-sea corals and sponges off the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington, particularly within na

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Summer Expeditions will Explore Widespread Deep-Sea Coral and Sponge Communities in Alaska

In 2023, a series of expeditions will help NOAA and partners to better understand the diversity and extent of ecologically important seafloor communities in

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Deep-Sea Coral Research to Gain New Understanding of Alaska Fish Habitat

A multiyear, international study is using innovative technology to shed light on what red corals need to reproduce and sustain their populations, and how the