Alternative spellings: Demospongea, Demospongia, Demospongiea
Parent taxon: Porifera according to R. R. West et al. 2015
See also Briggs et al. 1994, Finks et al. 2004, Nielsen 2012, Pestana 1960, Senowbari-Daryan and Rigby 2015, Sepkoski 2002 and Worheide et al. 2012
Sister taxa: Alasonia, Aphlebospongia, Archaeocyatha, Batchatocyathus, Bicyathus, Bortepesia, Calcarea, Clathrispongia, Codites, Coniatopenia, Cornuaspongia, Coronacollina, Cotyliscus, Cribricyatha, Cribroscyphia, Cuneiphycus, Cupulochonia, Cupulospongia, Cyclospongia, Diestosphecion, Diplostomella, Disjectoporidae, Dulmius, Dulmius innovatus, Dyocopanon, Eocoryne, Eocyathispongia, Floriana, Glenodictyum, Helicolocellus, Heteractinida, Hexactinellida, Holocoelia, Homoscleromorpha, Lamellispongia, Limnoretheles, Megalelasma, Microcoryne, Monotheles, Nabaviella, Nelumbosium, Nelumbosium primum, Oligoplagia, Palaeophragmodictya, Pharetronida, Pilosphecion, Plectinia, Polyactinellidae, Polycnemiseudea, Psephidia, Pulchrilaminida, Puppispongia, Puppispongia prostrema, Radicispongia, Rauffia, Rugoconites, Sclerospongiae, Scribroporella, Scyphia, Shitangspongia, Sinoflabrum, Sparsispongia, Sphinctozoa, Spirocyathidae, Stromatofungia, Stromatoporoidea, Taraxaculum, Textispongia, Thalamospongia, Thectardis, Toriscodermia, Tragos, Trammeria, Tubispongia
Subtaxa: Agelasida Atrochaetetes Bauneia Blastochaetetes Burgundiidae Ceractinomorpha Chaetetida Chondrosida Choristida Clavaxinellida Consinocodium Desmacellidae Dictyonellidae Epipolasida Guadalupiida Hadromerida Halichondrida Haplosclerida Hemiasterellidae Heteroscleromorpha Infexiostella Janussenia Karatubulus Keratosa Lithistida Lovcenipora Meandripetra Metschnikowia Myxospongiae Operculospongia Paraaplysinofibria Permosphincta Petrosina Poecilosclerida Polymastidae Ptychochaetetes Raspailiidae Riasanospongia Scopalinidae Spongillina Spongiopsammia Stelligeridae Tabulospongida Tetractinellida Tetractinomorpha Timeidae Trachycladidae Vauxiidae Verticillitida
Ecology: stationary intermediate-level epifaunal suspension feeder