Diversity in India: In India, 564 species belonging to 191 genera, 80 families, 25 orders and 4 classes are recorded.
Endemism: Discodermia interspersa Kumar, 1925 is endemic to Indian waters and has been reported from the coasts of Odisha and West Bengal.
Invasive alien species: One sponge species (Terpios hoshinota Rützler & Muzik, 1993) is reported as invasive in Indian waters.
Gap areas: The majority of sponge species have been reported from major coral reef regions of Indian waters such as Tamil Nadu (Gulf of Mannar), Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Gujarat (Gulf of Kutch), and Lakshadweep, with comparatively few studies carried out in other coastal areas such as West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, and Kerala. Taxonomy and ecology of porifera in both fresh and salt water are still lacking, necessitating more intensive studies and documentation to determine the status of porifera fauna in Indian waters.