Publications by authors named "Julio C C Fernandez"

Acanthotetilla is a genus of tetillid sponges diagnosed by the presence of medium-sized, heavily spined oxeas, which are known as megacanthoxeas (or simply acanthoxeas). Currently, seven species are known worldwide: three from the Western Atlantic (A. gorgonosclera, A.

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Costa do Descobrimento is located in southern Bahia, Brazil, and only 22 species of sponges (Porifera) were known from the area until now, despite its important reef formations. In the present study, we report a checklist of the sponges of Costa do Descobrimento and their distribution in the studied reefs, with several species illustrated in life. We also describe nine new sponge records for this region, some of which are new records for Brazil, or new records of species previously only poorly known.

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Article Synopsis
  • Sponges from South America and Antarctica are closely related but have distinct microbiomes, which this study aimed to explore.
  • A total of 71 sponge samples were analyzed using advanced sequencing techniques, revealing that most symbionts were heterotrophic and dominated by Proteobacteria and Bacteroidota.
  • The study found significant differences in microorganism abundance between the regions, with South American sponges having more photosynthetic microbes and Antarctic sponges exhibiting a higher presence of chemosynthetic organisms, likely influenced by environmental factors like light and temperature.
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Despite its 2000 km long shoreline, to date less than 50 sponge species have been reported from the entire Peruvian coast. A large collecting effort targeting marine sponges was undertaken between 2007 and 2009, yielding a comprehensive collection of nearly 900 samples, whose taxonomic study is underway. Three new species of Hymedesmiidae are presently described from the Peruvian coast, all belonging in Hymedesmia (Hymedesmia), one of which also found in Chile.

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Until now, 127 species of marine sponges have been recorded in the southern Gulf of Mexico (SGoM). In this study, we describe the sponge fauna recorded on 16 coral reefs of the SGoM, defined as the Mexican waters of the Gulf of Mexico (GoM), during a period from 2005 to 2019. We report 80 sponge species, including 34 first geographic records for the southern GoM region.

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Here, we describe four new species of Crellidae Dendy, 1922 and discuss characters and relationships from published molecular phylogenies including crellid sponges. New species proposed are Crella (Pytheas) chiloensis Fernandez, Gastaldi, Pardo Hajdu, sp. nov.

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Antarctic sponges were mainly studied from trawling or dredging (shallow and deep water) during pioneering oceanographic expeditions carried out since the late 19th century. More recently, sponge collections by SCUBA diving have allowed the detection of species in more cryptic habitats such as rocky walls. In this study, we analyzed Antarctic sponges collected by SCUBA (in 2016 to 2018; shallower than 25 m) around Doumer Island (Palmer Archipelago, Western Antarctic Peninsula-WAP), where only five sponge species have been known.

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Article Synopsis
  • Since the 19th century, researchers have been studying and discovering deep-sea sponges in Brazil, and this study identifies five species of tetillid sponges from Brazil's economic exclusive zone: three are new, one is a new occurrence, and one is well-known but analyzed in this context.
  • The newly discovered species include Cinachyrella clavaeformis, Cinachyrella strongylophora, and Craniella curviclada, found at depths ranging from 85 m to 500 m, with notable adjustments to their species definitions based on their unique structural features.
  • The study enhances our understanding of deep-sea sponge diversity and distribution, particularly in depths greater than 100 m in Brazil, providing updated
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Several sponges from American Samoa, collected by the Coral Reef Research Foundation, Republic of Palau, were tentatively identified by one of us as Acanthotetilla cf seychellensis (Thomas 1973), due to the possession of relatively small acanthose oxeas, compared to those of other species of the genus Acanthotetilla Burton 1959. These sponges were later compared to Cinachyrella australiensis (Carter 1886), taking into account the lack of conspicuous spination on the acanthose oxeas and general features of spiculation and skeletal organisation. The specimens were later considered to represent a new species of the genus Cinachyrella Wilson 1925, after a careful comparison was made between the American Samoan specimens and C.

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Our ongoing studies of the Chilean sponge fauna revealed four new species of Lissodendoryx (Ectyodoryx) that are described here, including three from the fjord's region (< 30 m depth, L.(E.) ballena sp.

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Tetillidae are spherical to elliptical cosmopolitan demosponges. The family comprises eight genera: namely, Acanthotetilla Burton, 1959, Amphitethya Lendenfeld, 1907, CinachyraSollas, 1886, CinachyrellaWilson, 1925, Craniella Schmidt, 1870, Fangophilina Schmidt, 1880, Paratetilla Dendy, 1905, and Tetilla Schmidt, 1868. These genera are characterized by few conflicting morphological characters, resulting in an ambiguity of phylogenetic relationships.

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