Five new species of demosponges (Porifera) from the Aleutian Islands and the Gulf of Alaska

Sponges comprise an important part of the Alaskan benthic fauna and marine ecosystems. Despite their ecological importance, the region’s sponge fauna remains understudied. Five new species of demosponges were identified and described from specimens collected from bottom trawls taken during stock assessment surveys in the Gulf of Alaska and Aleutian Islands in 1997, 2021, and 2022. Four of the newly identified species were collected from the Aleutian Islands. Two of these species were assigned to the order Suberitida: Aaptos mucronatus sp. nov. and Homaxinella fruticosa sp. nov. Another two species belong to the diverse order Poecilosclerida: Megaciella aurantia sp. nov. and Forcepia atka sp. nov. Desmacella alaskensis sp. nov., belonging to the order Desmacellida, was collected in the Gulf of Alaska. These additions bring the number of known sponges from Alaska to 232 species.