“…Knowledge on freshwater sponge-dwelling assemblages is presented by a few surveys, most of which are confined to the lists of species composition. Researches on this subject were conducted in Europe (Arndt, 1928;Konopacka, Sicinski, 1985;Trylis, 1997;Gaino et al, 2004), North and South America (Matteson, Jacobi, 1980;Resh, 1976;Melão, Rocha, 1996) and the Baikal region (Kamaltynov et al, 1993). However, freshwater sponges from vast territories of Central and Middle Asia (Rezvoj, 1926;Manconi, Pronzato, 2008) are poorly studied, and sponge-associated invertebrates in this region are almost unknown.…”