Identification of sponges of off shore zone in North-West of Hengam Island, Persian Gulf

Subject Areas : Marine Biology

S.S.  Eisapor ¹ (Faculty of Marine Science and Technology, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University & Member of Young Researchers Club Mianeh Branch)
Sh.  Safaeian ² (Faculty of Marine Science and Technology, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University)
A.  Esmaeili ³ (Faculty of Chemistry, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University)
H.  Vakili Amini ⁴ (Faculty of Marine Science and Technology, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University)
R.  Bavandi ⁵ (Faculty of Marine Science and Technology, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University)

Received: 2010-08-29 Accepted : 2012-01-04 Published : 2012-03-17

Keywords: identification, Persian Gulf, Hengam Island, marine sponges, microtome- sectioning,

Abstract :

In this study marine sponges of  intertidal zone of Hengam Island in Persian Gulf were collected at  spring low tide in desalination station in northwest of  at  location  55˚ 52΄ 17˝ E & 40˚ 26΄ 55˝ N (August 2009). For identifying these sponges acid digestion method and microtome section were used. All the identified sponges were from class Demospongia, 3 orders (Dictyoceratida, Hadromerida, Haplosclerida,) and 6 families (Suberitidae, Clionidae, Callyspongiidae, Chalinidae, Niphatidae, Spongiidae), and revealed six genera from Desalination Station: Callyspongia sp.Gelliodes fibrosa, Haliclona sp. Cliona dioryssa, Pseudosuberites mollis and Spongia officinalis. This Research is the first study to identify sponges of this Iranian islands based on microtome sectioning of their skeletal structures.