''Ernsta cordata'' is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
sea sponge
Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a basal animal clade as a sister of the diploblasts. They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate through t ...
in the family ''
Clathrinidae
Clathrinidae is a family of calcareous sponges in the order Clathrinida. It contains the following genera:
''Arturia'' '' Borojevia'' '' Brattegardia'' ''Clathrina'' ''Ernstia
''Ernstia'' is a genus of calcareous sponges in the family Clathr ...
'' found in South Africa.
The name means "heart-shaped" in Latin.
References
Clathrina
Sponges described in 1872
Fauna of South Africa
Taxa named by Ernst Haeckel
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