Azoricidae
Taxonomy
This page represents the following TreeOfLife-200M taxonomic path.[1]
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Porifera
- Class: Demospongiae
- Order: Tetractinellida
- Family: Azoricidae
Visual Description
Sponges in the family Azoricidae, such as those in the genus Leiodermatium, often exhibit a firm, structured form, consistent with their classification as lithistid demosponges.[1] Observed specimens typically display a compact, sometimes plate-like or branching growth form, with a relatively smooth or finely textured surface.[1]
Classification and Biology
The family Azoricidae was historically classified within the polyphyletic "order Lithistida," a group of demosponges defined by the presence of choanosomal siliceous spicules known as desmas.[2] These sponges are specifically characterized by the presence of rhizoclone desmas.
Molecular phylogenetic studies have demonstrated that the "Lithistida" are polyphyletic, and evidence from 18S rDNA analysis indicates that the genus Leiodermatium, a member of Azoricidae, belongs within the order Tetractinellida.
Gallery
References
- 1 2 3 Dataset view for Animalia / Porifera / Demospongiae / Tetractinellida / Azoricidae constructed from imageomics/TreeOfLife-200M records under this taxonomic path. Hugging Face Datasets. https://huggingface.co/datasets/imageomics/TreeOfLife-200M.
- ↑ Astrid Schuster; Dirk Erpenbeck; Andrzej Pisera; John N. A. Hooper; Monika Bryce; Jane Fromont; Gert Wörheide. Deceptive Desmas: Molecular Phylogenetics Suggests a New Classification and Uncovers Convergent Evolution of Lithistid Demosponges. PLoS ONE. 2015. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0116038.