Homosclerophorida
| Homosclerophorida | |
|---|---|
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| Oscarella lobularis | |
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| Homoscleromoph diversity. From top left to bottom right they are: Oscarella lobularis, Plakortis simplex, Oscarella microlobata (red arrow) with Plakina jani (green arrow), Plakina jani, various spicules of Plakinidae, spicules of Corticium candelabrum and heterolophose calthrops and lastly Corticium candelabrum. | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Porifera |
| Class: | Homoscleromorpha Bergquist, 1978 |
| Order: | Homosclerophorida Dendy, 1905 |
| Families | |
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Homosclerophorida is an order of marine sponges that belongs to the monotypic class Homoscleromorpha. Members of this family are exclusively marine, inhabiting shallow waters. The order is small, comprising somewhat more than 100 described species. These species are placed into around seven genera that belong to one of two families: Plakinidae and Oscarellidae.
The fossil record of Homosclerophorid sponges is poor because of to their sometimes present reduced and poorly organized siliceous skeleton. Their fossil record goes back at least to the early Carboniferous period. They also have fossil records during the Early and Upper Jurassic period.