Heteroscleromorpha

Heteroscleromorpha
Axinella polypoides
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Porifera
Class:	Demospongiae
Subclass:	Heteroscleromorpha Cárdenas, Pérez & Boury-Esnault, 2012 [1]
Orders
Agelasida Axinellida Biemnida Bubarida Clionaida Desmacellida Haplosclerida Merliida Poecilosclerida Polymastiida Scopalinida Sphaerocladina Spongillida Suberitida Tethyida Tetractinellida Trachycladida Heteroscleromorpha incertae sedis
Synonyms
List Democlavia Desmacidonitida Hadromerida Halichondrida Haploscleromorpha Lithistida Spirastrellida

Heteroscleromorpha is a subclass of demosponges within the phylum Porifera. ^{[2] [3]}

Heteroscleromorpha has the most taxa of the demosponge subclasses, with an estimated 7500 species.

Its origin can be traced back to the Cambrian period, with the oldest fossil found in Sirius Passet, Greenland. But the true origin of the group may be even older. ^[4]

References

1. Cárdenas, P.; Pérez, T.; Boury-Esnault, N. (2012). Sponge Systematics Facing New Challenges. Advances in Sponge Science: Phylogeny, Systematics, Ecology. 79-209., page(s): 170
2. van Soest, R. (2016). Heteroscleromorpha. Accessed through World Register of Marine Species on 2017-02-17.
3. Morrow, C. C.; Redmond, N. E.; Picton, B. E.; Thacker, R. W.; Collins, A. G.; Maggs, C. A.; Sigwart, J. D.; Allcock, A. L. (2013-09-01). "Molecular Phylogenies Support Homoplasy of Multiple Morphological Characters Used in the Taxonomy of Heteroscleromorpha (Porifera: Demospongiae)". Integrative and Comparative Biology. 53 (3): 428–446. doi:10.1093/icb/ict065. ISSN   1540-7063. PMC   3744896 . PMID   23753661.
4. Botting; Cádenas; Peel., José; Paco; John. (October 2014). "A crown-group demosponge from the early Cambrian Sirius Passet Biota, North Greenland". Paleontology. 58 (1) – via Wiley Online Library.