Freshwater sponges of the West Indies: discovery of Spongillidae (Haplosclerida, Spongillina) from Cuba with biogeographic notes and a checklist for the Caribbean area

The paper reports the first finding of freshwater sponges from the Greater Antilles. Spongillidae belonging to four species of the genera Ephydatia, Anheteromeyenia, and Radiospongilla were found in a variety of freshwater habitats in western Cuba. Anheteromeyenia cheguevarai nov. sp. is described. Morphological traits of sponges from West Cuba were characterized by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy and compared to the spongillofauna of the Nearctic and Neotropical regions and the pan-Caribbean area. The specific richness and the discovery of a new species suggest a high diversity of the Antillean freshwater sponges although the investigated area of Cuba is relatively small.