Identification and Distribution of Sponges From Larak Island in Persian gulf

Sponges are simple animals and are the most primitive of multicellar animals. Identification of sponges is so necessary special in the Persian Gulf, where is the good bed for aquatic animals. Although there is no report of identification of sponges in this place. So the purpose of this study is to provide to identify the sponges. Survey of sponges were collected by scuba diving at depths between 0 to 20 m from Larak Island, then they were frozen as soon as possible and transferred to the laboratory. Identification was based on scanning light microscope on skeletal slides, dissociated calcareous and siliceous spicule mounts and tissue samples by key of Sponguide, John. N. A. Hooper. The result shows that species in this area consist of Haliclona sp.(Family Chalinidae), Agelas sp.( Family Agelasidae), Ircinia sp.(Family Ircinidae)and Niphates sp. (Family Niphatidae), which they are the first record of sponges from Larak island in the Persian Gulf of Iran.