A new species delimitation pipeline for sponges. Ircinia spp.

We introduce an integrative taxonomic pipeline that uses genome-wide evidence of reproductive isolation and ecologically relevant traits to simultaneously identify new species and describe their ecological roles. We applied the pipeline to Caribbean members of the sponge genus Ircinia, a group that exemplifies many of the obstacles to traditional species delimitation approaches, using genome-wide SNP sampling (2bRAD) and microbiome data (16S rRNA). Our results identify genetic boundaries and evidence of non-overlap in the ecology of three new Ircinia species. We hope that the application of our research framework will aid in future species discoveries in sponges and other marine invertebrate taxa.