Molecular and morphological evidence supports recognizing Homoscleromorpha as a fourth sponge class rather than retaining it within Demospongiae; this taxonomic revision is not an origin-time claim. This navigation entry is not a phylogeny or a complete taxon dossier.
Represented rangeRange unavailable
Content packagesponges-cnidarians
PBDBNot linked
Evidence boundary
Automated checks cover structure, identifiers, translations and links only; maintainer and external expert review are not complete.
Claim ledger
morphology · high
Gazave and colleagues distinguish Homoscleromorpha with small skeletal spicules (Plakinidae) from those without spicules (Oscarellidae); their revised diagnoses describe varied aquiferous organization, not a mineral skeleton shared by every member of the class.
claim:taxon:homoscleromorpha:morphologytaxonomy · high
Molecular and morphological evidence supports recognizing Homoscleromorpha as a fourth sponge class rather than retaining it within Demospongiae; this taxonomic revision is not an origin-time claim.
claim:taxon:homoscleromorphafossil-range · low
Homoscleromorpha has no supported scalar temporal range in the cited evidence: formal recognition of the living class supplies taxonomy but no fossil boundary, so the former 0–0 placeholder is withheld rather than presented as a range.
claim:taxon:homoscleromorpha:range-boundary-rc50
Known limits
A missing branch or fossil occurrence does not imply biological absence. Internal nodes are not calibrated divergence estimates.