Sponges of the North East Atlantic - World Biodiversity Database CD-ROM Series

Full description

This metadata record has been created to describe a commercial CD product of the Expert Center for Taxonomic Identification. This CD has in no way been produced by the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD), and the metadata record is only intended as a reference for AAD employees.

From the CD booklet:

The CD-ROM volume Sponges of the North East Atlantic is a comprehensive guide to 337 shallow-water sponges occurring in the coastal waters of Western Europe between the low Arctic (northern Norway and Iceland) and Southern Portugal, limited to depths of about 200 m. Authors are the experienced spongologists Rob van Soest, Bernard Picton and Christine Morrow. The CD-ROM combines data from major regional sources (Tierwelt Nord- und Ostsee, Inventaire Marine de Roscoff, Inventario do Litoral Galego and the MCS Sponge Guide) making this a unique guide for all of Europe's west coast sponges.

Sponges are sessile Metazoans with a low grade of organisation. Very few, if any, sponges have a constant form, colour and size. Macroscopic details are a very unreliable data set for identification, although experienced spongologists are usually able to recognise species on sight/touch/smell. Taxonomy and classification are based on very small details of the skeleton and thus for a reliable identification it is absolutely imperative to make microscope slide preparations of the skeleton and spicules.

For a full treatment of preparation procedures see the Introduction module, topics 'Spicule preparations' and 'Thick sections'.

The Expert Center for Taxonomic Identification (ETI) is a Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) in operational relation with UNESCO, dedicated to the production of scientific and educational computer software for the preservation of knowledge concerning the worlds plants and animals. ETI is supported by The Netherlands Government, the University of Amsterdam, UNESCO, and other international organisations. It cooperates with major scientific institutes around the world.

Lineage

Progress Code: completed

Statement: From the CD booklet: 'Please keep in mind that Sponges of the North East Atlantic is like all science, a 'work in progress'. We actively solicit comments, corrections, suggestions and additions from our users for incorporation in version 2.0 of this software'. The dates provided in temporal coverage are approximate only.