First record of Amorphinopsis atlantica (Porifera: Demospongiae: Halicondriidae) in the Paraguau River estuary: Is its presence an invasion or an adaptation to changing environmental conditions?

Herein, we describe the first-ever identification of Amorphinopsis atlantica in the Iguape Bay (Bahia, Brazil). The bay, where fish and shellfish harvesting has been practiced for centuries, is part of the Paraguau River estuary, the main tributary of Todos-os-Santos Bay. Massive encrusting specimens of sponge species growing on three different types of substrates were collected manually in the intertidal zone of a mangrove in an estuary; despite being initially described in Brazilian subtropical coastal waters.