taxonID	type	description	language	source
B3188793FFCEFFDAFF2E73F5B311A28F.taxon	description	(Figure 6)	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFCEFFDAFF2E73F5B311A28F.taxon	materials_examined	Material examined: ESFM-POR / 2017 - 434, S 19, 20 m, on stone, 3 specimens.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFCEFFDAFF2E73F5B311A28F.taxon	description	Description: It is usually elongated and cylindrical in shape. It reaches 5 cm in length and 1.5 cm in width (Figure 6 a). The body is white, greyish in color and has a hard structure. The osculum is not surrounded by spicules. Its calcareous spicules are composed of equiangular and uniangular triactines and diactines. The tubar skeleton is composed of non-congruent triactine rows (actins of equal length: 50 – 70 µm × 8 – 10 µm, actin of unequal length: 90 – 120 µm × 10 – 12 µm) (Figure 6 b 1, c), and the atrial skeleton is composed of equiangular triactine rows (100 – 150 µm × 10 – 15 µm). Diactines are 250 – 400 µm long and 18 – 25 µm in diameter.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFCEFFDAFF2E73F5B311A28F.taxon	distribution	Habitat and distribution: It was previously reported from rocks and crevices in the shallow sublittoral zone (Van Soest & Weinberg 1980). In this study, only 3 individuals were found on rocks at a depth of 20 m. This species was previously reported from the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the western Mediterranean Sea (de Voogd et al. 2024). This is a new record for the Eastern Mediterranean fauna.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFCCFFD9FF2E7306B222A0C4.taxon	description	(Figure 7)	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFCCFFD9FF2E7306B222A0C4.taxon	materials_examined	Material examined: ESFM-POR / 2017 - 477, S 17 (a), 0 – 2 m, on Posidonia oceanica, 3 specimens, ESFM-POR / 2017 - 728, S 26, 25 m, on cave wall, 3 specimens, ESFM-POR / 2017 - 632, S 29, 15 m, on cave wall, 4 specimens, ESFM-POR / 2017 - 165, S 33, 0.5 m, on P. oceanica, 2 specimens.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFCCFFD9FF2E7306B222A0C4.taxon	description	Description: It is an oval sponge that is slightly flattened on the sides. The surface is hispid. It has a creamy colour in alcohol (Figure 7 a). It has a rather fragile consistency, easily torn into apart. The skeleton is composed of irregularly intertwined triactines (900 – 2400 × 40 – 200 µm) (Figure 7 b 1) and tetractins (800 – 600 × 40 – 80 µm, Figure 7 b 2). Skeletons do not contain diaxones.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFCCFFD9FF2E7306B222A0C4.taxon	distribution	Habitat and distribution: This species was previously found on rocks at 2 – 40 m (Longo & Pronzato 2011; de Voogd et al. 2024) in the Tyrrhenian (Rützler 1966), Adriatic (Schmidt 1864, Rützler 1965), Ionian (Corriero 1989) and Aegean (Pansini et al. 2000) Seas. It is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea (de Voogd et al. 2024). It is a new record for the Turkish marine fauna.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFCCFFD9FF2E7759B1ECA4B2.taxon	description	(Figure 8)	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFCCFFD9FF2E7759B1ECA4B2.taxon	materials_examined	Material examined: ESFM-POR / 2017 - 635, S 26, 15 m, on coralligenous habitat, 1 specimen.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFCCFFD9FF2E7759B1ECA4B2.taxon	description	Description: It is an encrusting species (Figure 8 a), greyish in alcohol. The surface is smooth. The patency of the osculum is unclear. The consistency is soft. Its spicules are composed of dichotriaenes, mesocalthrops, amphiasters, resembling a staghorn, and their supporting bundles of oxea (Figure 8 c 1, 2). Oxeas are in one category and slightly curved in the middle (3 – 10 × 200 – 350 μm) (Figure 8 b 1). Dichotrianes range in size (cladome of symmetrical spicules): 23 – 40 × 2.5 – 5 μm) (Figure 8 b 2). The presence of mesocalthrops is quite rare compared to other spicules (50 – 75 × 5 – 10 μm) (Figure 8 b 3). Amphiasters are sparsely spined (5 – 7.5 × 1,2 μm) (Figure 8 b 4). Spiny microrhabds occur in two size classes (11 – 14.5 × 2.5 – 4.8 μm, 24 – 35 × 2 – 6 μm).	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFCCFFD9FF2E7759B1ECA4B2.taxon	distribution	Habitat and distribution: This species was previously reported in coralligenous habitats and cave walls, up to 40 m depth (Sarà 1959, Bertolino et al. 2011). In the study area, this species was also found in coralligenous habitats at 15 m at station 26. It is an endemic species of the Mediterranean, occurring on the coasts of the Tyrrhenian (Sarà 1959), Ligurian (Bertolino et al. 2010) and Ionian (Longo et al. 2018) coasts. It is a new record for the sponge fauna of the eastern Mediterranean.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFCDFFDFFF2E7791B484A2F3.taxon	description	(Figure 9)	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFCDFFDFFF2E7791B484A2F3.taxon	materials_examined	Material examined: ESFM-POR / 2017 - 502, S 25, 5 – 10 m, on muddy sand with shells, 2 specimens, ESFM-POR / 2017 - 580, S 26, 10 – 20 m, on muddy sand with shells, 2 specimens, ESFM-POR / 2017 - 670, S 27, 5 – 10 m, on muddy sand with shells, 1 specimen, ESFM-POR / 2017 - 779, S 31, 10 – 20 m, on muddy sand with shells, 3 specimens, ESFM-POR / 2017 - 788, S 32, 10 – 20 m, on muddy sand with shells, 3 specimens, ESFM-POR / 2017 - 733, S 36, 10 – 20 m, on muddy sand with shells, 2 specimens.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFCDFFDFFF2E7791B484A2F3.taxon	description	Description: Specimens are subspherical in shape and 3 – 3.5 cm in diameter, without root tufts. The surface is covered with sediment (silt, mud). The color is yellow when alive, without sand, becomes light brown-cream in alcohol (Figure 9 a). The hispididation is variable and the spicules are visible with the naked eye. The skeleton consists of large bundles of oxea (1200 – 6100 × 2 – 4 μm), anatriaene; (rhabdome up to 6500 – 7000 × 3.5 – 6 μm), protriaenes with a thin rhabdome often flexuous or hairlike (1000 – 2100 × 2.5 – 5 μm), small oxea (50 – 110 × 1 – 2 μm) and C-shaped, thin sigmaspires (8 – 12 μm × 0.5 – 1 μm) (Figure 9 b).	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFCDFFDFFF2E7791B484A2F3.taxon	distribution	Habitat and distribution: In this study, it was found on horizontal rocky bottoms covered with sediment deposits at depths between 10 – 27 m. This species was previously found on rocks at depths of 6 – 35 m (Vacelet et al. 2007). It is a species endemic to the eastern Mediterranean Sea de Voogd et al. 2024), known only from the coasts of Lebanon and Israel (Vacelet et al. 2007). It is a new record for the coast of Aegean Sea.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFCAFFDEFF2E75FEB445A104.taxon	description	(Figure 10)	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFCAFFDEFF2E75FEB445A104.taxon	materials_examined	Material examined: ESFM-POR / 2017 - 77, T 5, 200 – 300 m, on amphora, 5 specimens.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFCAFFDEFF2E75FEB445A104.taxon	description	Description: Encrusting species, light yellow when alive (Figure 10 a, b). Specimens are firm and rigid. It has a hispid surface due to the lithisthid skeleton consisting of basal desmas and steeply protruding spicules (styles). There is no obvious oscular opening. It consists of desmas resembling a staghorn as a skeletal arrangement (100 – 180 μm × 5 – 8 μm) (Figure 10 b, c). Styles curved at the base: (300 – 400 × 4 – 8 µm).	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFCAFFDEFF2E75FEB445A104.taxon	distribution	Habitat and distribution: This species was reported from reef habitats and caves at 12 – 30 m (List-Armitage & Hooper 2002). It appears to have an Atlantic-Mediterranean distribution (de Voogd et al. 2024). Although it was also encountered in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, these records appear to be dubious according to Van Soest & Hajdu (2000). According to de Voogd et al. (2024), Desmanthus incrustans could be a complex of species and the Mediterranean individuals show different morphological features when compared to the Carribean and West tropical Atlantic individuals. This is a new record for the eastern Mediterranean Sea.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFCBFFDDFF2E74ABB29DA163.taxon	description	(Figure 11)	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFCBFFDDFF2E74ABB29DA163.taxon	materials_examined	Material Examined: ESFM-POR / 2017 - 687, S 10, 10 – 20 m, on coralligenous habitat, 3 specimens, ESFM-POR / 2017 - 542, S 12, 5 – 10 m, on coralligenous habitat, 2 specimens, ESFM-POR / 2017 - 551, S 16 (b), 28 m, on stone, 1 specimen, ESFM-POR / 2017 - 564, S 31, 10 – 20 m, on coralligenous habitat, 1 specimen.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFCBFFDDFF2E74ABB29DA163.taxon	description	Description: Specimens are oval and massive, with a soft consistency (Figure 11 a). Although it shows a weak hispidation on its outer surface, the hispidation is more pronounced in the area of the sponge in contact with the base. The few oscula are located at the top of the sponge body. Color is light brown in alcohol. Ectosome and choanosome differentiation could not be detected. Its skeleton consists of bundles of megasclerites that merge and separate in the same plane as each other. Spongin is present only at the junction of the spicules. Megasclerites consist of only slightly curved elongated styles (Figure 11 b, c, 1600 – 1900 μm × 10 – 15 μm). The ends of the styles are pointed.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFCBFFDDFF2E74ABB29DA163.taxon	distribution	Habitat and distribution: This species was previously found in detrital and coralligenous habitats at depths up to 70 m in the previous studies (Vacelet 1961, Rubio 1981, Longo et al. 2018). In the study area, it occurred in stony and coralligenous habitats at depths of 10 – 20 m. It has an Atlantic-Mediterranean distribution (de Voogd et al. 2024), reported from the Aegean (Voultsiadou 2005), Ionian (Longo et al. 2018) and Levantine (Burton 1936) Seas. This is a new record for the coast of Türkiye.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFC9FFD3FF2E734FB48CA23B.taxon	description	(Figure 12)	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFC9FFD3FF2E734FB48CA23B.taxon	materials_examined	Material examined: ESFM-POR / 2017 - 616, T 3, 40 – 50 m, on stone, 2 specimens.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFC9FFD3FF2E734FB48CA23B.taxon	description	Description: Specimens have a very polymorphic morphology with long, string-like projections (0.5 – 1 mm in diameter) from a thin, encrusting base (Figure 12 a). Color is light yellow. The consistency is rather firm and compressible. The osculum is inconspicuous and irregular (1 – 5 mm). The ectosomal skeleton has a halichondroid skeletal structure, with spicules arranged randomly or in tight bundles (Figure 12 b). The choanosomal skeleton is disordered, with dendritic bundles terminating at the surface on different sides. Spicules consist only of oxeas (145 – 400 × 3.6 – 10.1 µm) (Figure 12 c – d). No microscleres.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFC9FFD3FF2E734FB48CA23B.taxon	distribution	Habitat and distribution: This Atlanto-Mediterranean species was reported from different hard and muddy substrata in the Adriatic Sea (Cardone et al. 2014), Alboran Sea (Carballo & Garcia-Gómez 1994), Tyrrhenian Sea (Marra et al. 2016), Celtic Sea (Morrow et al. 2012) and the northern Atlantic Ocean (Montagu [1814] 1818). It was also found in cave habitats (0 – 7 m) in the Black Sea (Ereskovsky et al. 2018) and on Mytilus galloprovincialis (Evcen et al. 2023 a) This species is a new record for the marine fauna of the Aegean Sea.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFC6FFD2FF2E706EB0CBA11A.taxon	description	(Figure 13)	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFC6FFD2FF2E706EB0CBA11A.taxon	materials_examined	Material examined: ESFM-POR / 2017 - 189, S 4, 20 m, on coralligenous habitat, 2 specimens.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFC6FFD2FF2E706EB0CBA11A.taxon	description	Description: Body is thin (height: 0.2 – 0.8 mm) and encrusting. Surface is smooth with circulary raised areolae (diameter: 0.5 – 1 mm) (Figure 13 a). The areolae, of very variable size, are spaced apart and bordered by a raised wall of flared conical shape. Oscules are also areolae. Aquifer channels, clearly visible in the form of translucent veins, converge on the discrete oscula. whose general appearance resembles the craters that group the oscules. The spicules megascleres are diactines: straight tornote strongylotes of 200 – 285 µm × 4 – 6,5 µm, and slightly curved and spiny acanthoxeas of 80 – 115 µm × 1.5 – 3 µm (Figure 13 b, c).	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFC6FFD2FF2E706EB0CBA11A.taxon	distribution	Habitat and distribution: This species was previously reported as an epibiont on rocks, coralligenous habitats, some sponges (Aaptos aaptos, Fasciospongia cavernosa, Sarcotragus foetidus etc.), hard corals and Lithothamnion at depths between 0 and 150 m (Pulitzer-Finali 1978, 1983). In this study, two individuals were found in the coralligenous habitat at a depth of 20 m. It is a species endemic to the Mediterranean Sea (de Voogd et al. 2024), previously reported from the Alboran Sea (Maldanodo 1992) and the Tyrrhenian Sea (Topsent 1901, Vacelet 1969, Pouliquen 1972; Pulitzer-Final 1978, 1983). This is a new record for the sponge fauna of the eastern Mediterranean Sea.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFC7FFD2FF2E712BB2A5A558.taxon	description	(Figure 14)	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFC7FFD2FF2E712BB2A5A558.taxon	materials_examined	Material examined: ESFM-POR / 2017 - 499, S 10, 25 m, on coralligenous habitat, 1 specimen, ESFM-POR / 2017 - 42, S 26, 10 m, on stone, 1 specimen; ESFM-POR / 2017 - 499, S 31, 10 – 20 m, on stone, 1 specimen.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFC7FFD2FF2E712BB2A5A558.taxon	description	Description: Specimens are encrusting (height: 0.5 – 0.9 cm) and have a punctate, slightly irregular, surface. Exhalant canals are clearly visible. The color is brown in alcohol. The consistency is soft and friable (Figure 14 a). The osculum is slightly elevated from the sponge surface and is 1.5 – 3 mm in diameter. The choanosomal skeleton was an anisotropic reticulation with distinct pauci-multispicular primary tracts composed of 2 to 9 spicules, and paucispicular secondary lines that were composed of 1 to 4 overlapping spicules. However, a third paucimultispicular tract forms a triangular reticulation. Its spicules consist of fine fusiform oxea (110 – 150 × 3 – 7.5 μm) (Figure 14 b – d). The choanosomal skeleton has an isotropic reticulation (Figure 14 c). Spongin is present in small amounts only at the tips of the spicules.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFC7FFD2FF2E712BB2A5A558.taxon	distribution	Habitat and distribution: This species was reported at depths of 0 – 30 m under rocks and in shaded habitats (Carballo & Garcia-Gómez 1994). It has an Atlantic-Mediterranean distribution (de Voogd et al. 2024). It was previously reported from the Azores (Topsent 1892), the Celtic Sea (Bowerbank 1866, de Weerdt 1986), and the western Mediterranean (Alboran Sea) (Carballo & Garcia-Gómez 1994). This species is a new addition to the marine fauna of the eastern Mediterranean Sea.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFC7FFD7FF2E7405B17DA2AA.taxon	description	Figure 15	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFC7FFD7FF2E7405B17DA2AA.taxon	materials_examined	Material examined: ESFM-POR / 2017 - 212, S 2, 15 – 25 m, on stone, 2 specimens; ESFM-POR / 2017 - 217, S 2, 15 – 25 m, on Agelas oroides, 1 specimen; ESFM-POR / 2017 - 525, S 25, 15 – 25 m, on stone 3 specimens; ESFM-POR / 2017 - 676, S 27, 5 – 10 m, on stone, 2 specimens; ESFM-POR / 2017 - 588, S 31, 5 – 10 m, on stone, 2 specimens.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFC7FFD7FF2E7405B17DA2AA.taxon	description	Description: Specimen is massive, encrusting and 0.6 – 1 cm in thickness (Figure 15 a). Color is brown in after fixation (Figure 15 b). Consistency soft and fragile. Surface is hispid because of projecting spicules. Tubular oscules are slightly elevated (diameter: 0.3 – 0.8 cm). The ectosomal skeleton is absent. Choanosomal skeletons are formed by multispicular primary lines, which consist of many single spicules. Spongin is scarce and confined to the nodes of the spicules. Spicules include only long and sharp tipped oxeas (125 – 200 × 3 – 8 μm) (Figure 15 c, d) No microscleres.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFC7FFD7FF2E7405B17DA2AA.taxon	distribution	Habitat and distribution: This species was previously found under stones, rocks and shells from the infralittoral zone down to 100 m depth (de Weerdt 1987). It is an Atlanto-Mediterranean species (Van Soest et al. 2020). It was reported from the Adriatic (Sarà 1961), Tyrrhenian (Topsent 1925, Sarà 1958), Levantine (Tsurnamal 1968, Idan et al. 2018) and Black Seas (Evcen et al. 2016). This species is a new addition to the marine fauna of the eastern Mediterranean Sea.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFC2FFD7FF2E704BB205A630.taxon	description	Figure 16	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFC2FFD7FF2E704BB205A630.taxon	materials_examined	Material examined: ESFM-POR / 2017 - 186, S 4, 20 m, on stone, 2 specimens; ESFM-POR / 2017 - 375, S 19, 24 m, on cave wall, 1 specimen; ESFM-POR / 2017 - 341, S 20, 20 m, on coralligenous habitat 1 specimen.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFC2FFD7FF2E704BB205A630.taxon	description	Description: Specimens have numerous fistulae and tassel-like projections emerging from the base of the body (Figure 16 a). The fistulae (2 – 4 mm) are slightly directed upwards, and the thicker ones carry the osculum. Its color is pink-white under water and brown in alcohol. Its external surface is smooth and fragile. It does not secrete mucus. Choanosomal and ectosomal skeletons have an isotropic structure. The sponge is quite rare and is found only at the tips of the spicules. Its spicules consist of straight, rarely slightly curved, pointed oxeas (140 – 235 × 6 – 13 µm) (Figure 16 b, c).	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFC2FFD7FF2E704BB205A630.taxon	distribution	Habitat and distribution: This species was previously reported in sheltered, silty areas with moderate tidal currents from the coast to the lower circalittoral zone (Ackers et al. 1992). It is an Atlanto-Mediterranean species (de Voogd et al. 2024), previously reported from the Azores and the Celtic Sea in the eastern Atlantic (Cruz 2002, de Weerdt 1986); from the Adriatic Sea (Griessinger 1971), the Ionian Sea (Pulitzer-Finali 1983) and the Tunisian coast (Ben Mustapha et al. 2003) in the Mediterranean Sea. This is a new record for the eastern Mediterranean.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFC2FFD7FF2E704BB205A630.taxon	discussion	Remarks: Haliclona (Halichoclona) fistulosa is characterised by the growth form of the fistules. A tubular form is rare in the subgenus Halichoclona, whereas a massive or cushion-like form is more common. The forms and dimensions of the skeletons (fibres and spicules) of the our specimens overlap with those reported by de Weerdt (1989) in the Mediterranean Sea.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFC2FFD7FF2E77F2B44DA491.taxon	description	(Figure 17)	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFC2FFD7FF2E77F2B44DA491.taxon	materials_examined	Material examined: ESFM-POR / 2017 - 505, S 12, 15 m, on stone, 1 specimen.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFC2FFD7FF2E77F2B44DA491.taxon	description	Description: Specimens are in massive form and have a height of 3 cm. Its color changes to brown in alcohol. The body is fragile and soft. Osculum (diameter: 2 – 5 mm) are located on volcano-like projections. (Figure 17 a) The outer surface is smooth. The curved oxea (130 – 200 × 5 – 10 μm) that make up the skeleton are slender and pointed (Figure 17 b). Both the ectosomal and choanosomal skeletons tend to form circular networks (Figure 17 c). The spongin is present only at the contact points of the spicules.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFC2FFD7FF2E77F2B44DA491.taxon	distribution	Habitat and distribution: This species is found on cave walls at a depth of 25 m (Lent & de Weerdt 1987), It was recorded on Peyssonnelia and Vidalia volubilis at a depth of 30 – 40 m (Griessinger 1971) and on stones at a depth of 45 m (Pansini 1987). It is an endemic species to the Mediterranean (de Voogd et al. 2024), known from the Adriatic (Griessinger 1971), Aegean (Griessinger 1971), Ionian (Pansini 1987) and Ligurian (Lent and Weerdt 1987, Griessinger 1971) Seas. This is a new record for the marine fauna of Türkiye.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFC0FFEBFF2E753CB18BA23B.taxon	description	(Figure 18)	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFC0FFEBFF2E753CB18BA23B.taxon	materials_examined	Material examined: ESFM-POR / 2017 - 569, S 31, 20 m, on coralligenous habitat, 1 specimen.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFC0FFEBFF2E753CB18BA23B.taxon	description	Description: The specimen is small (diameter: 0.5 cm) and encrusting. The color is creamy light yellow in alcohol (Figure 18 a). The patency of the osculum is unclear. The skeletal system was not observed. Spicules consist of large oxeas that are curved, bent or flexuous, with the triangular end (350 – 900 µm × 2.5 – 12 µm) and 9 – 12 rayed oxyasters (sizes 25 – 60 µm) in a wide size range (Figure 18 b, c).	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFC0FFEBFF2E753CB18BA23B.taxon	distribution	Habitat and distribution: This species was previously found in rocky (Pulitzer-Finali 1978) and coralligenous biotopes (Bertolino et al. 2013, Longo et al. 2018) at depths between 30 and 110 m. It is an endemic species to the Mediterranean (Pansini & Longo 2008). It was reported from the Ionian Sea (Longo et al. 2018), the Ligurian Sea (Bertolino et al. 2013), and the Tyrrhenian Sea (Pulitzer-Final 1978). It is a new record for the fauna of the eastern Mediterranean fauna.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFFEFFEBFF2E7002B58DA67D.taxon	description	(Figure 19)	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFFEFFEBFF2E7002B58DA67D.taxon	materials_examined	Material examined: ESFM-POR / 2017 - 287, S 1, 10 – 20 m, on stone, 2 specimens, ESFM-POR / 2017 - 344, S 20, 20 – 35 m, on coralligenous habitat, 1 specimen; ESFM-POR / 2017 - 787, S 32, 20 – 35 m, on coralligenous habitat, 1 specimen.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFFEFFEBFF2E7002B58DA67D.taxon	description	Description: Specimens are oval-shaped and massive (5 cm in diameter). It has an elastic and firm consistency. Colors are brown when alive (Figure 19 a). Conules were blunt-tipped, 1 – 2 mm high, and 1 – 3 mm apart, scattered on the surface of the sponge. The conules are characteristically interconnected by a honeycomb-like reticulation with meshes (ca. 80 µm in diameter). Oscules are 2 – 2.5 mm wide. Skeleton reticulate with meshes 200 to 600 µm in diameter. Fibrils do not have stratification. Primary fibrils are (50 – 80 μm in diameter) moderately covered with inclusions (sand, debris, foreign matter). Secondary fibrils (20 – 80 μm in diameter) are free of inclusions. Thin filaments are 5 – 8 μm in diameter (Figure 19 b).	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFFEFFEBFF2E7002B58DA67D.taxon	distribution	Habitat and distribution: It was previously reported on muddy bottoms at 70 – 80 m (Pulitzer-Finali et al. (1981 [1980]), Corallium rubrum (Melone 1965) and rocky bottoms at 5 – 33 m (Boury-Esnault & Lopes 1985). It is a species endemic to the Mediterranean Sea, occurring in the Ligurian (Pulitzer-Finali & 1981 [1980]), Levantine (Ilan et al. 1994) and Aegean (Voultsiadou et al. 2016) Seas. It is a new record for the fauna of the Turkish Seas.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFFEFFEAFF2E7410B46EA4E5.taxon	description	(Figure 20)	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFFEFFEAFF2E7410B46EA4E5.taxon	materials_examined	Material examined: ESFM-POR / 2017 - 326, S 17 (b), 0 – 5 m, on Cladocora caespitosa, 3 specimens; ESFM-POR / 2017 - 43, S 26, 0 – 5 m, on Posidonia oceanica and Bryozoa sp, 3 specimens.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFFEFFEAFF2E7410B46EA4E5.taxon	description	Description: It is a thin-structured sponge (height 0.7 – 1.5 mm) in an encrusting form. Its color after fixation is light brown (Figure 20). It has a soft, gelatinous, and slightly elastic texture. The osculum distributed on the sponge’s surface is 0.2 – 0.4 mm in diameter. The collagen layer consists of collagen fibrils that are difficult to separate from each other and have a dense structure.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFFEFFEAFF2E7410B46EA4E5.taxon	distribution	Habitat and distribution: This species was frequently reported at depths of 0 – 50 m in association with stones, rocks shells and crabs (e. g. Inachus sp., Macropodia sp.) (De Voogd et al. 2024; Ackers et al. 1992). However, it was also reported from the deep sea (300 m) (Alander 1942). It is a species with a Mediterranean-Atlantic distribution (de Voogd et al. 2024). It was previously reported from the coast of Bermuda (Rützler 1986), the North Sea (Muller 2004), off the coast of Norway (Burton 1930), the Celtic Sea (Borojevic et al. 1968), the eastern Bering Sea (Fristedt 1887), the Azores (Cruz 2002), off the coast of Dakar (Lévi 1952), the Balearic (Bibiloni 1981; Bibiloni and Gili 1982), the Ligurian Sea (Sarà 1958, Boury-Esnault 1971), the Tyrrhenian Sea (Topsent 1925; Pulitzer-Finali & Pronzato 1976), the Adriatic Sea (Schulze 1877), the Aegean Sea (Voultsiadou-Koukoura & Koukouras 1993) and the Black Sea (Czerniavsky 1880). It is a new record for the fauna of the Turkish Seas.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
B3188793FFFAFFEFFF2E73DFB2D8A06F.taxon	description	A few number of studies have been carried out on sponge species associated with P. oceanica meadows on the coasts of Türkiye. The only study regarding sponge species on rhizomes of P. oceanica was carried out by Sarıtaş (1973) in Ayvalık, who listed a total of 22 species. However, three of these species (Prosuberites epiphytum, Rhabderemia indica and Tethya lyncurium) were considered invalid for the Mediterranean Sea (WPD, 2024). Evcen and Çınar (2017) also reported 25 sponge species associated with P. oceanica along the Aegean coast of Türkiye. In the present study, a total of 35 species were found in association with rhizomes of P. oceanica along the eastern coast of Türkiye. The most common species were Aplysina aerophoba, Spirastrella cunctatrix, Crambe crambe, Chondrilla nucula, Ircinia variabilis and Sarcotragus foetidus.	en	Evcen, Alper, Çinar, Melih Ertan (2025): Sponge fauna of the Aegean coast of Türkiye with new records for the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 5631 (2): 201-244, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5631.2.1
