Benthozoa
{{Short description|Clade of early animals}}
{{refimprove|date=January 2020}}
{{use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| image =
| taxon = Benthozoa
| authority = A. Erives and B. Fritzsch, 2019
| subdivision_ranks = Clades
| subdivision = * Poriferimorpha (See Parazoa for taxa, as it's a myriazoa version of Euparazoa, but otavia is the sister/member of Ctenophora)
| synonyms = Myriazoa
}}
{{cite journal
|last=Schultz |first=Darrin T. |last2=Haddock |first2=Steven H.D.
|last3=Bredeson |first3=Jessen V. |last4=Green |first4=Richard E.
|last5=Simakov |first5=Oleg |last6=Rokhsar |first6=Daniel S.
|date=2023-05-17
|title=Ancient gene linkages support ctenophores as sister to other animals
|journal=Nature
|doi=10.1038/s41586-023-05936-6
|issn=0028-0836 |pmc=10232365
|url=https://rdcu.be/dcJSY |lang=en
}}
are a proposed basal animal clade consisting of the Porifera and ParaHoxozoa as a sister group of Ctenophora.
{{cite bioRxiv
|last=Erives |first=Albert
|last2=Fritzsch |first2=Bernd
|date=2019-07-17
|title=A screen for gene paralogies delineating evolutionary branching order of early Metazoa
|biorxiv=10.1101/704551 |language=en
}}
An alternative phylogeny is given by the Porifera-sister hypothesis in which Porifera are the first diverging animal group.
{{clear}}
{{clade
|style=font-size:70%; line-height:90%
|label1=Choanozoa
|sublabel1=950 mya
|1={{clade
|label2=Animalia
|sublabel2=760 mya
|2={{clade
|label1=
|1=Ctenophora 60 px
|label2=Benthozoa
|2={{clade
|label2=Eumetazoa /
|sublabel2=ParaHoxozoa
|2={{clade
|1={{clade
|label1=
}}
|label2=Bilateria /
|sublabel2=Triploblasts
|2={{clade
|label2=Nephrozoa
|sublabel2=650 mya
|2={{clade
|label1=
|1={{clade
|label1=Deuterostomia
|1={{clade
|label1=
}}
}}
|label2=Protostomia
|sublabel2=610 mya
|2={{clade
|label1=
|1={{clade
|label1=Ecdysozoa
|sublabel1= > 529 mya
|1={{clade
|label1=
|1={{clade
|label1=Scalidophora
|sublabel1=(Priapulids and allies)
|1=40px
}}
|2={{clade
|label1=Arthropoda
|sublabel1= and allies
|1=60 px
|label2=Nematoda
|sublabel2=and allies
|2=60 px
}}
}}
}}
|label2=Spiralia
|2={{clade
|label1=Gnathifera
|1={{clade
|label1=Rotifera
|sublabel1=and allies
|1=50 px
|label2=Chaetognatha
|2=60 px
}}
|label2=Platytrochozoa
|sublabel2=580 mya
|2={{clade
|label1=Platyhelminthes
|sublabel1=and allies
|1=60 px
|label2=Lophotrochozoa
|sublabel2=550 mya
|2={{clade
|label1=Mollusca
|sublabel1=and allies
|1=60 px
|label2=Annelida
|sublabel2=and allies
|2=75 px
}}
}}
}}
}}
}}
}}
}}
}}
}}
}}
}}