Porifera

CE5

A. Canal systems of the three morphological types of sponges B. Internal anatomy of an asconoid sponge, representative of the phylum Porifera

Porifera pōrĭfˈərə [key] [Lat.,=pore bearer], animal phylum consisting of the organisms commonly called sponges. It is the only phylum of the animal subkingdom Parazoa and represents the least evolutionarily advanced group of the animal kingdom. All adult sponges are sessile (nonmotile), and nearly all are marine; there are six families of freshwater sponges. Sponges are subdivided into three classes.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• Class Demospongiae (Demosponges)
• Class Hexactinellida (Glass Sponges)
• Class Calcarea (Calcareous Sponges)
• Reproduction
• Anatomy

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