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Summary

 During two years (2013 - 2014) two surveys were carried out assessing the current state of biodiversity of sponge communities in 21 fixed sections at Phu Quy island coastal waters. The survey range from shoreline up to 25m of water, has collected a total of 474 specimens of marine sponges for taxonomically described species. The results of this study have identified 86 species, 45 genera, 34 families, 16 orders of three classes of sponge, including the Calcarea and Homoscleromorpha layers, each classes with only one species. In this list, three species of Oceanapia amboinensis Topsent, 1897, Muricy Plakortis communis, 2011 and Spheciospongia vagabunda (Ridley, 1884) have been reported as new species in Vietnam. Morphological and Spicules characteristics of 18 common species are described. In the distribution, the species is distributed mainly on the hard bottom, only few species are able to distribute on the soft bottom (sand). The research provides the most comprehensive list of species diversity of sponge communities at Phu Quy island coastal waters, Binh Thuan province.

Key words: Biodiversity Sponges; Phu Quy; New Recognition