Checklist of Porifera from São Paulo State, Brazil

• Autor(a) principal: Custódio, Márcio Reis
• Data de Publicação: 2011
• Outros Autores: Hajdu, Eduardo
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Biota Neotropica
• Texto Completo: https://www.biotaneotropica.org.br/BN/article/view/963
• topic: Porifera; biodiversity of the State of São Paulo; BIOTA/FAPESP Program; Porifera; biota paulista; Programa BIOTA/FAPESP; Porifera; biota paulista; Programa BIOTA/FAPESP

The sponges (Porifera) are one of the oldest extant metazoans, but still easily found in a wide variety of aquatic environments. They are key components in several ecosystems, directly influencing the quality of water in their habitat. In recent times, these organisms have become one of the most productive groups in providing new compounds with bioactivity or unusual structures. However, sponges are historically considered a group of complex taxonomy, and systematic discussions at order level or even about the monophyly of the group are still common. This situation began to change markedly in the last decade, with multinational initiatives aimed at providing a more solid taxonomic basis. In Brazil, this process was accompanied by the publication of identification guides of the native species. Starting from the sporadic data available in earlier periods, several initiatives were specifically targeted at the survey of Porifera species, particularly in coastal regions. Such actions now provide the researchers with a knowledge base far more comprehensive than that available a decade earlier. In the ten years since the last checklists for the São Paulo State were published, there was a significant change in the scenario. As verified by this study, the period was undoubtedly the most prolific regarding the knowledge of the local spongiofauna.