offers practical identifications of the shallow-water marine sponges of southern Florida from Indian River Lagoon through the Florida Keys, Florida Bay and the Dry Tortugas, including species from all shallow-water habitats;
includes in situ color photographs documenting both typical growth forms and variations, and photographs and drawings of microscopic features necessary for accurate final identification;
contains keys and descriptions with simplified technical terms suitable for non-specialists including environmental managers, marine biologists, teachers and advanced students;
provides several layers of features both for quick overview assessments and more detailed investigations;
was funded by generous grants from the National Coral Reef Institute (Nova Southeastern University), Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and Protect our Reefs License Plate grant program (Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, FL). Uncredited photographs were all taken by Charles G. Messing’s laboratory (Nova Southeastern University).
is maintained by the Department of Computer and Information Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham as part of the Porifera Tree of Life (PorToL).
