Cladtertia | |
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Microscopic image of Cladtertia collaboinventa. Scale bar is 0.2 mm. | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Placozoa |
Class: | Uniplacotomia |
Order: | Hoilungea |
Family: | Cladtertiidae Tessler et al., 2022 |
Genus: | Cladtertia Tessler et al., 2022 |
Type species | |
Cladtertia collaboinventa Tessler et al., 2022
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Other haplotypes | |
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Cladtertia is a genus of placozoan discovered in 2022. The genus contains a single described species, Cladtertia collaboinventa, although several other undescribed lineages are known. Its closest described relative is Hoilungia hongkongensis, with whom it forms the order Hoilungea.
Cladtertia is similar in morphology to most other placozoans, but genetically distinct from them. It has been found in warm tropical waters with low seasonal changes, ranging from 26°N to 25°S, where it occupies a distinct ecological niche compared to other placozoan lineages. Sexual reproduction through cross-fertilization has been observed in a strain of Cladtertia.