Astrophorida Incertae Sedis

Abstract

Lamellomorpha Bergquist (Demospongiae, Astrophorida) is a monotypic genus from cool temperate and subantarctic New Zealand. It has contort oxeas, strongyles and strongyloxeas as megascleres forming a lax confused choanosomal skeleton with only slight traces of radial structure near the surface, and a skin-like membranous ectosomal skeleton packed with microstrongyles, and with streptasters (amphiaster- , metaster- and spiraster-like) scattered throughout. Its precise taxonomic allocation cannot be presently resolved, with dis- cussion provided on possible affinities with Astrophorida (e.g., Ancorinidae, Pachastrellidae), some lithistid demosponges (e.g., Corallistidae, Isoraphinidae, Phymaraphiniidae), Hadromerida (e.g., Alectonidae) and Halichondrida (e.g., Axinellidae, Bubaridae), and is left incertae sedis within Astrophorida.