MBARI illustrator @kellyalance created this image of three newly named sponges in the style of illustrations made during the ground-breaking Challenger Expedition in the late 1870s. The new species are Cladorhiza kensmithi (upper right), Cladorhiza hubbsi (fragment; bottom), and Cladorhiza mexicana (left). ⠀ ⠀ Two of the newly named sponges were recorded on videotape by MBARI’s remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) at depths of about 2,500 to 4,100 meters. All three of the new sponges are members of the genus Cladorhiza. These three new species join three previously known species of Cladorhiza sponges along the West Coast of North America.⠀ ⠀ One of the new sponges, Cladorhiza kensmithi, lives on the muddy seafloor off Central and Northern California. This sponge was named after MBARI deep-sea biologist Ken Smith, who has spent over 40 years studying deep-sea animals. A large number of C. kensmithi sponges were observed at “Station M,” one of Smith’s long-term research sites off the coast of Central California.⠀ ⠀ #sciart #scientificillustration #illustrationbyKellyLance #scienceillustration #scienceillustrator #scienceillustrated #taxonomy #sponges #kilersponges #killerappetite #deepseasponge #deepsealife #deepseaadaptation #stationM #SputnikSponges #parasolsponge #ocean #oceanlife #sealife #underwaterphotgraphy ⠀ ⠀ ⠀