Thirty species of sponges (29 Demospongiae, 1Hexactinellida) have been recorded in association with a white coral bank situated o¡ Cape S. Maria di Leuca (southern Italy) at depths ranging from 430 to 1160 metres. Notwithstanding the occurrence of clearly eurybathic species, two depth-dependent sponge groups can be identi¢ed along the bathymetric gradient.Two species, Geodia nodastrella and Plocamiopsis signata, are reported for the ¢rst time fromtheMediterranean Sea.The sponge assemblage shows a higher a⁄nity with the fauna from the Boreal region, with very low number of Mediterranean endemic species. Systematic notes concerning the poorly known and intriguing species, studied using scanning electron microscopy analysis, are reported.