Report of deep-sea Porifera (Euplectellidae, Euretidae, Hylanematidae, Pheronematidae, Rossellidae) in the southern Colombian Caribbean.

Deep-sea research activities in Colombia are growing in a fast pace, and possibilities for substantial scientific discoveries are more reachable than ever. During 2015 to 2017 Anadarko Colombia Company (ACC), in search of hydrocarbon sources in the southern Colombian Caribbean, explored deep-waters between 375 to 2500 depth. Thanks to these exploratory activities, and through ROV surveys and towed cameras, it was possible to record the diverse animals inhabiting the deep sea. The sponges (Porifera) encountered during the exploratory activities, which were identified to the most exact taxonomic level, are presented in the current data.
The data presented here corresponds to 81 occurrences of deep-sea Echinoderm. The taxonomic coverage of this dataset includes 1 class, 3 orders, 5 families, 4 genus and 3 species. There is a 26% classifed to the species level, 14% to class, 11% to family, 5% to order, 43% to genus, and 1% phylum.