@article{gledocs_11858_6805,
author = {Reitner, Joachim and Mehl, Dorte},
title = {Early paleozoic diversification of sponges ; new data and evidences},
year = {1995},
volume = {20},
pages = {335-347},

abstract = {Sponges are primitive metazoan organisms which occur since the late Proterozoic. The oldest sponge remains (hexactinellids) are from a shallow marine carbonate facies of the late Sinian Shibantan Member (China). From the Tommotian (Sansha, China) protospongiid and rossellimorph hexactinellids were discovered in shallow marine silicified rocks. The middle part of this section consists of silty shales with entirely preserved hexactinellid sponges: Sanshadictya, Hyalosinica, Solactinella, Triticispongia, Hunanospongia. The hexactinellids typically are soft bottom dwellers, which sometimes grow on and form in situ spiculites (spicule mats). The sponges from the Chengjiang deposits of Atdabanian age, which show a rossellimorph spicule organization typical of the conservative hexactinellid groups, which inhabited the deep sea during most of the Phanerozoic, were also typical soft bottom dwellers. All sponge taxa (Leptomitella, Leptomitus, Paraleptomitella etc.) described from this locality we consider to be hexactinellids and not demosponges, as originally classified. The sponge communities of carbonate-dominated archaeocyathid mounds are completely different from the above described sponge mounds. The sponges from the archaeocyath mounds of the Flinders Ranges (S.Australia) are characterized by Calcarea and demosponges ($; modern type of pharetronid Calcarea Gravestockia pharetroniensis, and many tetractinellid demosponges, Geodiida). Questionable is the origin of four-rayed demosponge spicules found in some archaeocyaths. The oldest ceractinomorph demosponges are documented from the middle Cambrian (Vauxia - an aspicular sponge with keratose affinities, and isolated sigmata microscleres). Sponge communities of the Early Cambrian were highly developed, and already then they were taxonomically strongly dependent on substrates and trophic conditions.},
note = { \url {http://resolver.sub.uni-goettingen.de/purl?gldocs-11858/6805}},
}