Introduction
Over the past 15 years, extensive collections of marine biotas have been made around South Africa as part of the marine biodiversity and coastal research programmes of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, the South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON), and the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). These programmes survey shallow and deep-water habitats, including marine protected areas (MPAs), within the South African exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The aim is to enhance our understanding of macroecological patterns and diversity among sessile benthic invertebrates and to describe new species as part of our species census and discovery initiative.
In 2019, a survey was conducted aboard the RV Algoa in the Southern Benguela ecoregion, which included the Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area (TMNP MPA), the newly established Robben Island Marine Protected Area (RI MPA), and the surrounding Seas of Good Hope ecologically and biologically significant area (EBSA) (Figure 1). During this survey, a camera system was deployed for biodiversity assessments and habitat classification, while a dredge was used to collect specimens for species identification of the sessile benthic epifauna. Sediment samples were also collected during grab operations to identify and classify substrates within the MPAs. This work contributes to our assessment of MPAs and regional biodiversity in the South African EEZ, as well as to the national biodiversity assessment (NBA) of the region.
A. Map of South Africa. B. Image showing randomized sampling stations (red squares) within the Table Mountain National Park MPA (yellow block) and the Southern Benguela Ecoregion; the light purple block indicates sampling stations (yellow squares) exclusively within the Robben Island MPA. C. Distribution of the holotype specimen SAMC–A099320 (cross-reference TS5971) collected and examined in this study (red circle; grid 172).
The sponge fauna of the deeper regions of the Table Mountain National Park MPA and Robben Island MPA is poorly studied, and data are reported almost exclusively in very old papers (e.g. Kirkpatrick, Reference Kirkpatrick1901, Reference Kirkpatrick1902, Reference Kirkpatrick1903a, Reference Kirkpatrick1903b; Baer, Reference Baer1906; Stephens, Reference Stephens1915; Lévi, Reference Lévi1963, Reference Lévi1967). In none of these papers are species belonging to the genus Podospongia Barboza du Bocage (Porifera: Demospongiae: Poecilosclerida: Podospongiidae) reported. Podospongia natalensis (Kirkpatrick, 1903), however, was reported and described from the east coast of South Africa.
During the 2019 survey, several sponge specimens were collected using the Van Veen grab, including an unidentified species in the genus Podospongia. After a careful examination of the morphological characters, it was determined that this specimen did not match any previously known Podospongia species (Table 1), indicating that it represents an undescribed new species.
Comparison of species of the genus Podospongia Barboza du Bocage, Reference Barboza du Bocage1869. Asterisk (*) indicates own measurement
Previously, Podospongia was classified within the family Latrunculiidae by Topsent (Reference Topsent1922). However, Kelly and Samaai (Reference Kelly, Samaai, Hooper and Van Soest2002) reinstated the family Podospongiidae de Laubenfels (Demospongiae, Poecilosclerida) to include genera with spinose microrhabds, also known as spinorhabds. This family includes the genera Podospongia Barboza du Bocage, Reference Barboza du Bocage1869, Sigmosceptrella Dendy, Reference Dendy1922, Diacarnus Burton, Reference Burton1934, Negombata Laubenfels, Reference Laubenfels1936, Sceptrintus Topsent, Reference Topsent1898, Diplopodospongia Sim-Smith and Kelly, 2011, and Neopodospongia Sim-Smith and Kelly, 2011, all of which feature spinorhabds arranged either densely within the ectosomal crust or in a scattered band (Kelly and Samaai, Reference Kelly, Samaai, Hooper and Van Soest2002; Sim-Smith and Kelly, Reference Sim-Smith and Kelly2011; de Voogd et al., Reference de Voogd, Alvarez, Boury-Esnault, Cárdenas, Díaz, Dohrmann, Downey, Goodwin, Hajdu, Hooper, Kelly, Klautau, Lim, Manconi, Morrow, Pinheiro, Pisera, Ríos, Rützler, Schönberg, Turner, Vacelet, van Soest and Xavier2025).
The genus Podospongia is restricted to stipitate species (Sim-Smith and Kelly, Reference Sim-Smith and Kelly2011) characterised by an elliptical body elevated on a thin stem, with surface ostia and apical oscules, or differentiated aquiferous faces. Although Podospongia species have a wide distribution in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, the genus is considered rare, with species found at depths ranging from 50 and 732 m in tropical and cold-water regions (Kelly and Samaai, Reference Kelly, Samaai, Hooper and Van Soest2002; Cristobo et al., Reference Cristobo, Ríos, Sánchez and Anadón2009; Sim-Smith and Kelly, Reference Sim-Smith and Kelly2011).
Currently, Podospongia comprises seven species (Table 1). One of these, Podospongia natalensis (Kirkpatrick, 1903), was described from Cone Point in the Natal ecoregion, South Africa, at a depth of 62 m (Kirkpatrick, 1903; de Voogd et al., Reference de Voogd, Alvarez, Boury-Esnault, Cárdenas, Díaz, Dohrmann, Downey, Goodwin, Hajdu, Hooper, Kelly, Klautau, Lim, Manconi, Morrow, Pinheiro, Pisera, Ríos, Rützler, Schönberg, Turner, Vacelet, van Soest and Xavier2025). The type species, Podospongia lovenii Barboza du Bocage, 1869, was first described from Portugal and later from the Cantabrian Sea (Kelly and Samaai, Reference Kelly, Samaai, Hooper and Van Soest2002; Cristobo et al., Reference Cristobo, Ríos, Sánchez and Anadón2009; Sim-Smith and Kelly, Reference Sim-Smith and Kelly2011). The other five species were described from deeper waters in various major oceans (Sim-Smith and Kelly, Reference Sim-Smith and Kelly2011; de Voogd et al., Reference de Voogd, Alvarez, Boury-Esnault, Cárdenas, Díaz, Dohrmann, Downey, Goodwin, Hajdu, Hooper, Kelly, Klautau, Lim, Manconi, Morrow, Pinheiro, Pisera, Ríos, Rützler, Schönberg, Turner, Vacelet, van Soest and Xavier2025). These include Podospongia india (de Laubenfels, Reference Laubenfels1934) (Caribbean), Podospongia similis (Lévi, Reference Lévi and Crosnier1993) (New Caledonia), Podospongia colini (Sim-Smith and Kelly, Reference Sim-Smith and Kelly2011) (Sulawesi Sea), and Podospongia virga (Sim-Smith and Kelly, Reference Sim-Smith and Kelly2011) (New Zealand). In this study, the new species of Podospongia is described, discussed and illustrated.
Materials and methods
The specimen was collected during the 2019 biodiversity survey of the Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area (TMNP MPA), the Seas of Good Hope EBSA, and the newly established Robben Island MPA (RI MPA) in the Southern Benguela (Figure 1A–C). Stations were determined in a pseudo-random manner along a depth gradient within the sampling area (Figure 1B). The specimen described here was collected from a depth of 84 m at station SB172 (Figure 1C). The sponges collected during the survey were preserved in ethanol and transferred to the Iziko Museum, where they are housed in the TS collection.
The holotype specimen of the new and undescribed Podospongia species was deposited in the Iziko Museum collection. Tissue preparations for light microscopy were made by cutting thick sections through the ectosome and choanosome with a scalpel. These sections were then cleared, rinsed, and neutralised in distilled water before being mounted on a microscope slide. Scanning electron microscope spicule preparations were made by dissolving the tissue in nitric acid to remove the soft tissue, followed by rinsing twice in distilled water, then twice in 70% ethanol, and finally in 96% ethanol. Scanning electron micrographs were captured using a TM4000 Desktop Hitachi SEM, and the plates were assembled in Adobe Photoshop. Spicule dimensions are presented as the mean length (range) x mean width (range) based on 25 spicule measurements.
Furthermore, an evaluation of conservation status was conducted in accordance with the guidelines for using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria, Version 16 (IUCN Standards and Petitions Committee, 2024).
Results
Systematics
The taxonomic description of the new species from the Southern Benguela ecoregion, are provided below. Classification follows the online World Porifera Database (de Voogd et al., Reference de Voogd, Alvarez, Boury-Esnault, Cárdenas, Díaz, Dohrmann, Downey, Goodwin, Hajdu, Hooper, Kelly, Klautau, Lim, Manconi, Morrow, Pinheiro, Pisera, Ríos, Rützler, Schönberg, Turner, Vacelet, van Soest and Xavier2025), based on the Systema Porifera (Hooper and Van Soest, Reference Hooper and Van Soest2002), with revision by Morrow and Cárdenas (Reference Morrow and Cárdenas2015).
Class Demospongiae Sollas, Reference Sollas1885
Subclass Heteroscleromorpha Cárdenas, Pérez and Boury-Esnault, Reference Cárdenas, Pérez, Boury-Esnault, Becerro, Uriz, Maldonado and Turon2012
Order Poecilosclerida Topsent, Reference Topsent1928
Family Podospongiidae de Laubenfels, Reference Laubenfels1936
Podospongiidae de Laubenfels, Reference Laubenfels1936: 165.
Genus Podospongia Barboza du Bocage, Reference Barboza du Bocage1869
[Lovenia] Barboza du Bocage, (1868) (preoccupied).
Podospongia Barboza du Bocage, Reference Barboza du Bocage1869: 160.
Alcyospongia de Laubenfels, 1934: 18.
Type species. Podospongia lovenii Barboza du Bocage, 1869: 160 (by monotypy).
Diagnosis. Small stipitate Podospongiidae, up to 100 mm total length, with an elliptical body elevated on a thin stem, with surface ostia and apical oscules, or differentiated aquiferous faces. Strongyloxeas and irregularly curved anisostrongyles form the primary tracts of the stem and body and radiate with thin polytylote strongyloxeas and anisoxeas that form the finer secondary fibres and brushes in the ectosome. Microscleres are aciculospinorhabds which may have short bifurcate or long spined projections. The protospinorhabd in some species is clearly sigmoidal (Sim-Smith and Kelly, Reference Sim-Smith and Kelly2011).
Podospongia capensis Samaai sp. nov.
(Figures 2A–K and 3A–C; Table 1)
Podospongia capensis Samaai sp. nov.: A. SAMC–A099320 (cross-reference TS5971), gross morphology of preserved holotype specimen; B & C. Thick cut cross-sections of the skeletal architecture showing arrangement of styles in the ectosome (B) and choanosome (C) with sparsely scattered aciculospinorhabds through the choanosome, 5 x & 10 x magnifications; D. Spicule compliment of oxeas, rare styles and aciculospinorhabds; E. Style; F. Oxea; G-I. Aciculospinorhabds; J, K. Immature aciculospinorhabds.
A, B & C. Podospongia capensis Samaai sp. nov.: SAMC–A099320 (cross-reference TS5971), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images of the skeletal architecture, showing the bundles of broad primary tracts of oxeas radiating towards the ectosome and a very dense palisade of aciculospinorhabds in the ectosome.
Material examined. Holotype. SAMC–A099320 (cross-reference TS5971), offshore from Cape of Good Hope on the southern edge of Table Mountain National Park MPA, Southern Benguela, offshore station ALG 13289, −34.4220°S, 18.4467°E, grid 172, depth 84 m, collected by Toufiek Samaai with a Van Veen grab, RV Algoa, 6 September 2019.
Other material examined. Podospongia natalensis Kirkpatrick (1903) – BMNH 1902.11.16.27 (Holotype) labelled ‘Latrunculia natalensis’ Kirkpatrick (1903) identified by Kirkpatrick from Cone point, Natal coast, South Africa, depth 34 fathoms. Podospongia lovenii Barboza du Bocage, 1869 – MNHM L.B.I.M. no. D.T. 1115 labelled Podospongia lovenii; MNHM L.B.I.M. no. D.T. 1207 labelled Podospongia lovenii.
Type location (Figure 1). Offshore from the Cape of Good Hope, just outside the southern boundary of the Table Mountain National Park marine protected area (TMNPMPA)
Distribution. Known only from type location (Figure 1C).
Description (Figure 2A). Stipitate sponge, looks like a baseball bat or drumstick, measuring 23 mm in length. It features an elliptical body, 10 mm wide and 5 mm thick, above a 2.5 mm diameter stalk. No oscules were visible on the surface of the body upon collection. The surface is smooth but feels hispid to the touch, and possesses an undetachable crust or ectosome. The texture is compressible, fibrous, and soft, with a tough stalk. In life, the sponge colour was salmon orange, but faded to beige in preservative.
Skeleton (Figures 2B, C and 3A–C). The ectosome consists of a very dense palisade of aciculospinorhabds that do not project beyond the sponge’s surface (Figures 2B and 3C). Large oxea megascleres are densely packed in broad primary tracts radiating from the base of the elliptical body towards the ectosome (Figures 2B, C and 3A, B). These primary tracts emerge from tspongin encased tracts within the stalk. Very rare, long styles form secondary tracts branching off the primary tracts, expanding into brushes near the surface. Aciculospinorhabds are sparsely scattered throughout the choanosome (Figure 3A, B).
Spiculation (Figure 2D). Megascleres (Figure 2E, F; Table 1) – Oxeas (Figure 2F) are large and straight, sometimes polytylote, with fusiform ends. They form the primary fibre tracts and measure 415 (384–442) × 10 (10) μm, n = 25. Styles (Figure 2E) are large and thick, straight, sometimes slightly curved and fusiform, measuring 514 (480–576) x 18 (14–19) μm, n = 25. The styles are very rare. Microscleres (Figure 2G–K; Table 1) – Aciculospinorhabds are short, stout, and asymmetrical (Figure 2G–I). They feature a basal whorl composed of mono- and bifurcating spines extending horizontally, a medium whorl composed of horizontal bifurcating spines, and an apical whorl that is also a cluster of bifurcate spines, more densely clustered than the basal whorl. The apex is a short tuft or crown of spines, measuring 44 (36–50) μm long × 16 (14–17) μm wide. Protospinorhabds are sigmoid (Figure 2J, K).
Substrate, depth range, and ecology (Figure 4A, B). Rock/boulders with coarse to medium sediment patches.
A & B. Underwater images of the habitat in grid 172 (Figure 1B) where Podospongia capensis Samaai sp. nov.: SAMC–A099320 (cross-reference TS5971) was collected.
Etymology. The specific epithet, capensis, derived from the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Peninsula (Latin suffix – ensis, ‘belonging to’). This name refers to the region where the new species was discovered and where the holotype was collected.
Preliminary conservation status. Podospongia capensis sp. nov. has not been previously recorded or described and has been found at a single locality, just outside the southern boundary of the Table Bay National Park MPA, within an area where rock lobster and small pelagic fishing are permitted. However, our sampling area is outside the current offshore and inshore trawling footprint. Previously, trawling occurred off Cape Town and False Bay between 1910 and1930. This species was collected by grab at a depth of 84 m just outside the southern boundary of the Table Mountain National Park MPA.
According to Guidelines for Using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria (IUCN Standards and Petitions Committee 2024, Ver. 16), the species should be considered Data Deficient (DD) due to insufficient sampling. This assessment is preliminary, as the data are lacking to accurately assess criteria A, C, and E (IUCN Standards and Petitions Committee 2024). We cannot evaluate the status according to criterion B. To use this criterion, at least two of the conditions (a), (b), and (c) must be met. For this new species, only condition (a) is applicable, as conditions (b) and (c) do not apply. However, condition (a) alone is insufficient. Considering the small and restricted population, a calculation can only be performed according to IUCN criterion D (IUCN Standards and Petitions Committee 2024). Consequently, the species is Vulnerable according to the D2 criterion: VUD2.
Remarks. More than 100 years have passed since Kirkpatrick (1903) described the first Podospongia species from the east coast of South Africa. The new species, P. capensis sp. nov., differs from the Natal species P. natalensis in external morphology and spiculation. Podospongia capensis sp. nov. is stipitate with a short stalk and salmon-orange in colour, whereas P. natalensis is pyriform with a long, slender stalk and sandy in colour. The megascleres of P. natalensis are described as styles, strongyles, and amphioxeas or tornotes (Kirkpatrick 1903), while those of P. capensis sp. nov. are straight fusiform oxeas and slightly curved fusiform styles. Furthermore, the oxeas and styles of P. capensis sp. nov. are smaller than the amphioxeas and anisostyles found in P. natalensis (Table 1).
Podospongia natalensis also possesses anisostrongyle megascleres and a large second category of symmetrical aciculospinorhabds composed of multiple elongated spines (see Plate VI, Figure 2A–E in Kirkpatrick, 1903; Table 1), both of which are absent in P. capensis sp. nov. In contrast, P. capensis sp. nov. has aciculospinorhabds composed of short tufts or crowns bifurcate spines (Figure 2; Table 1).
Table 1 compares the morphological characteristics, spicule structures, and dimensions of species within the genus Podospongia. Podospongia capensis sp. nov. shares a similar aciculospinorhabd form with P. similis, P. colini, and P. virga, where the apex features a short tuft or crown of spines that does not project beyond the general apex. As the table illustrates, P. capensis sp. nov. is distinct from the species found in New Caledonia and New Zealand. The aciculospinorhabds of P. capensis sp. nov. also differ markedly from those of the Atlantic Ocean species, P. lovenii, which possess aciculospinorhabds with elongated individual spines that extend well beyond the apical whorl. The megascleres of P. capensis sp. nov. are also smaller than those found in P. similis, P. colini, P. virga, P. india and P. lovenii (Table 1). Many of the congeners also have anisostrongyles (Table 1), and P. india has only large anisoxeas (Table 1).
The current known geographic distribution of P. capensis sp. nov. found in the Southern Benguela, South Africa, is well separated from that of P. natalensis. The specimen of P. natalensis originates from the east coast, situated in a subtropical region (Natal ecoregion), while P. capensis sp. nov. was found offshore from the Cape of Good Hope, in the cold temperate Southern Benguela, bordering the transition zone between the cold and warm temperate regions of South Africa. There are no other records of Podospongia from South Africa, the South Atlantic, the Western Indian Ocean, or the Southern Ocean. Further north in the Atlantic, P. lovenii is described from the Iberian Peninsula and Mediterranean, and P. india is found in the Caribbean, while P. colini, P. virga and P. similis are described from the Southwest Pacific Ocean (Table 1). The geographical distribution of the species of Podospongia and the data presented herein (Table 1) thus suggest a latitudinal turnover of Podospongia species worldwide, without discernible patterns distributional ranges. However, given that large areas remain under-sampled, future surveys may reveal regions where species of the genus overlap.
Discussion
The genus Podospongia is exceptionally rare, both globally and within South African waters. To date, only two species have been recorded from South Africa: P. natalensis, described by Kirkpatrick in 1903 from the Natal ecoregion on the east coast, and the new species described here from the southern Benguela ecoregion on the west coast. The discovery of this second South African species comes more than a century after Kirkpatrick’s original description, highlighting how poorly known the genus remains, even in well-studied regional waters.
Over the last 15 years our surveys were comprehensive in geographic scope and habitat diversity, covering key reef systems and sedimentary environments across South Africa’s Exclusive Economic Zone. These included deep hard-substrate environments in the Amathole MPA and surrounding areas, hard reefs on the Agulhas Bank (including Alphard Banks, 45 and 72 Mile Reefs), shallow inner reefs of the Agulhas Bank, shallow reefs in Algoa Bay, Tsitsikamma, Aliwal Shoal, and Sodwana Bay as well as unconsolidated sediment habitats accessed via trawl surveys along the west and south coasts. We also surveyed shallow reef systems extending up the west coast toward Namibia and the deep water environments off Robben Island, Child Banks, Namaqua and surrounds. Despite this extensive effort, no other specimens of Podospongia were encountered beyond the new species described here. This absence, even in suitable habitats, supports the conclusion that the genus is both rare and highly habitat-specific within South African waters.
The genus Podospongia remains one of the more enigmatic and under-studied groups within the Poecilosclerida (Demospongiae), with only seven species formally described since Podospongia lovenii was first identified by Barboza du Bocage in 1869 (Kelly and Samaai, Reference Kelly, Samaai, Hooper and Van Soest2002; Cristobo et al., Reference Cristobo, Ríos, Sánchez and Anadón2009; Sim-Smith and Kelly, Reference Sim-Smith and Kelly2011; de Voogd et al., Reference de Voogd, Alvarez, Boury-Esnault, Cárdenas, Díaz, Dohrmann, Downey, Goodwin, Hajdu, Hooper, Kelly, Klautau, Lim, Manconi, Morrow, Pinheiro, Pisera, Ríos, Rützler, Schönberg, Turner, Vacelet, van Soest and Xavier2025). These include two species from South Africa (east and west coasts), two from New Zealand, one from New Caledonia, one from Puerto Rico in the Caribbean, and one species distributed across the North Atlantic (from the Iberian coast) into the Mediterranean (Cristobo et al., Reference Cristobo, Ríos, Sánchez and Anadón2009; Sim-Smith and Kelly, Reference Sim-Smith and Kelly2011; de Voogd et al., Reference de Voogd, Alvarez, Boury-Esnault, Cárdenas, Díaz, Dohrmann, Downey, Goodwin, Hajdu, Hooper, Kelly, Klautau, Lim, Manconi, Morrow, Pinheiro, Pisera, Ríos, Rützler, Schönberg, Turner, Vacelet, van Soest and Xavier2025). This disjunct or patchy global pattern imply that Podospongia is an ancient, relict genus that still exists today in widely dispersed temperate and subtropical marine localities. The absence of the genus from tropical Indo-Pacific biodiversity hotspots and much of the Indian Ocean together with the low number of described species and the long interval since the type species was identified and described, spanning over 150 years, raise important question about the perceived rarity of the genus. Is Podospongia genuinely rare, or is this an artefact of limited sampling, misidentifications, or unexplored habitats? The depth distribution of Podospongia species, ranging from 50 m to over 700 m, spans both tropical and temperate ecosystems (Sim-Smith and Kelly, Reference Sim-Smith and Kelly2011). Despite the seemingly broad geographic range (although patchy), the genus remains poorly known, which may reflect significant knowledge gaps in our understanding of sponge biodiversity, especially in deeper or under-sampled regions (Griffiths et al., Reference Griffiths, Robinson, Lange and Mead2010; Van Soest et al., Reference Van Soest, Boury-Esnault, Vacelet, Dohrmann, Erpenbeck, de Voogd, Santodomingo, Vanhoorne, Kelly and Hooper2012; Sink et al., Reference Sink, van der Bank, Majiedt, Harris, Atkinson, Kirkman and Karenyi2019).
Increased survey efforts across South Africa’s continental shelf and slope are beginning to reveal these hidden pockets of diversity. In our recent surveys, conducted within and around two MPAs, only a single specimen of the new Podospongia species was collected. These surveys were designed using a randomised approach to reduce sampling bias, yet the genus was represented by just one sample across multiple sites. This rarity in collections suggests that Podospongia species may have limited distributions, occur at low densities, or occupy very specific ecological niches.
From a conservation perspective, the discovery of species within MPAs has significant implications. If a species is found within the boundaries of an MPA or surroundings areas, highlights the critical role of MPAs in preserving biodiversity. The presence of rare, cryptic or potentially endemic species within MPAs reinforces the need for ongoing monitoring of these regions to ensure the continued protection of vulnerable marine organisms (Sink et al., Reference Sink, van der Bank, Majiedt, Harris, Atkinson, Kirkman and Karenyi2019).
In conclusion, the slow pace of discovery within the genus Podospongia, combined with its apparent rarity and wide but patchy distribution, reflects both the challenges and the opportunities in marine biodiversity research. Improved access to deeper habitats, broader survey coverage, and more refined sampling tools will be essential for uncovering the true extent of diversity within this and other poorly known sponge genera. As our surveys continue to expand in both spatial and methodological scope, we can expect to encounter more of these rare and hidden members of the marine sponge fauna, with each discovery representing a small but crucial step towards understanding our marine biodiversity.
Acknowledgements
TS would like to thank Dr Lauren Williams for creating the grids, grid numbers, and map used in the survey’s sampling design. TS also thanks Dr Tanya Haupt and Dr Denham Parker for their assistance with the sampling design, and extends a special thanks to Dr Haupt, Ms Liesl Janson and Mr Laurenne Snyders for their participation in the survey. The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE) is gratefully acknowledged for providing all resources required for the survey. Special thanks are extended to the DFFE Scientists and Technicians involved in the survey, as well as the RV Algoa crew and Captain Kenton Smith. The Iziko South African Museum is gratefully acknowledged for providing access to their Desktop TM 4000 Scanning Electron Microscope and molecular facility, and for granting permission to house TS at the museum. We also appreciate the provision of space to house the TS collection, ensuring its safekeeping and facilitating its accession into the museum. TS is grateful to the NRF for funding the MARBIBI project (Grant no. 141960) and acknowledges the SponBioDIV project, a 2021–2022 BiodivProtect joint call for research proposals, under the Biodiversa+ Partnership co-funded by the European Commission and the South African Department of Science and Innovation (project#2022-01709). TS would like to extend gratitude to the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Oceans and Coasts Research (DFFE-OCR) for their support of the African Sponge Taxonomy and Biodiversity Programme and acknowledges the financial and logistical support from Oceans and Coasts Research (O&CR).
Financial support
The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Oceans and Coasts Research and National Research Foundation
Competing interests
None.
Data availability
The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article [and/or its supplementary materials].
