Several specimens of calcareous sponges were sampled on artificial substrates of a recreational marina in Salvador, Bahia state, on the northeastern coast of Brazil. They belong to four species, two of which are new: Leucandra serrata, Paraleucilla incomposita, Sycon bellum sp. nov., and S. avus sp. nov. Leucandra serrata is recorded for the first time at the coast of Bahia, filling a large gap in the geographical distribution of this species, while the description of the specimens of P. incomposita revealed new characters that had previously been overlooked. Finally, the new species of Sycon described here differ from all the previously known species of the genus due to their skeletal organisation and spicule size. Our results increase the number of species known in Bahia from 13 to 17 and emphasise that areas with a large amount of artificial hard substrates can potentially harbour an interesting and unknown diversity of calcareous sponges.

The genus Leucandrilla was proposed to allocate species of Leucandra sharing the presence of articulated skeleton and cortical tetractines with short apical actine. Hence, the taxonomic histories of both genera are closely related and spark discussions on the validity and characterisation of features that are typical of Leucandrilla. Nevertheless, since the proposition of this genus almost two decades ago, knowledge on its type species, Leucandrilla wasinensis, is based on the original description, which needs to be improved. Therefore, the main goal of the present work was to redescribe the holotype of L. wasinensis. Redescription of L. intermedia is also provided, evidencing the stability of diagnostic taxonomic features among species of Leucandrilla. Our results will improve the current knowledge on the features defining this genus and can be of great value for future works dealing with concerns on the validity, phylogeny and taxonomy of Leucandrilla.

Amphoriscus is the type genus of the family Amphoriscidae. Since its nomination in the 19th century, its diagnosis has undergone significant changes. Most of the species currently assigned to Amphoriscus have only been reported once, when they were first described. Furthermore, unlike other Amphoriscidae genera, new Amphoriscus species are not commonly described. Therefore, the understanding of the diversity, distribution, and morphology of the genus remains fragmented, a lacuna that is being filled slowly. In this study, several species were revisited by the redescription of type and/or additional specimens. This results in considerable advances, including changes in the geographical distribution of A. cylindrus and A. chrysalis, a proposal of reallocation of A. dohrni in Leuconia, recognition of A. gastrorhabdifera as incertae sedis, a detailed description of the type species based on a set of specimens and, finally, the description of a new species, A. decennis sp. nov.

Recruitment is related to the occupation of the substrate by fouling organisms. It plays an important role in the maintenance and distribution of benthic populations, being under the influence of biotic and abiotic factors. In the present work, the recruitment of calcareous sponges was monitored over two years in a marina at Todos os Santos Bay, a large bay in the tropical portion of the Brazilian coast. Artificial plates were immersed, being replaced bimonthly and the potential influence of the seawater temperature, photoperiod and precipitation on the number of sponge recruits was tested. The results showed that the number of calcareous sponge recruits had significant temporal variation. Nevertheless, different species showed different patterns over time. Significant differences were observed for Sycon avus, Sycon sp. and Leucandra serrata, and the periods with the highest number of recruits were different amongst them. Sycon bellum, Paraleucilla incomposita, Leucilla sp. and Heteropia glomerosa did not show significant variation in the number of recruits over time. None of the three tested environmental factors were correlated with the number of recruits, but results indicated S. avus recruitment might be driven by seawater temperature. Our results contribute to improve the current knowledge on the dynamics of each species found on the plates and reinforce the general view that the pattern of recruitment varies greatly in Calcarea, even amongst sympatric species.