Palaeophragmodictya

Palaeophragmodictya; Temporal range: Late Ediacaran, 558–555 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
	Fossil of P. spinosa
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Porifera
Class:	Hexactinellida
Order:	†Reticulosa
Genus:	†Palaeophragmodictya; Gehling & Rigby, 1996
Species
	P. reticulata ; Gehling & Rigby, 1996; P. spinosa Serezhnikova, 2007;

Palaeophragmodictya is an extinct genus of sponge-grade organisms from the Ediacaran Period. Originally interpreted as a hexactinellid sponge,^[1] the organism also bears some coelomate characteristics, including bilateral symmetry.^[2]^[3]

Morphology

The organisms take the form of a rounded, dome-like bag, 7–68 mm in diameter, with an uneven margin. Radial grooves define sac-like compartments within the bag. The radial pattern has an element of bilateral symmetry. A stalk emerges from the central point of some specimens, at the top of the organism; in life, it probably extended into the water column. Ray-like filaments radiate outwards from the edge of the bag.^[2] Some structures in the organism have been interpreted as spicules.^[1]^[4]

Ecology

The organisms have been interpreted as tall suspension feeders, reaching 10 cm or more up into the sea water above them.^[1]^[5]

Original description

The genus was originally considered to be a member of the Dictyospongiidae family (hexactinellia), and was among the first Precambrian sponges to be described.^[1]

Distribution

First found in the Pound group of Australia, fossils have also been recovered from the White Sea region of Russia.^[2]

Other Sponge-Grade Ediacarans

Fedomia
Vaveliksia

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Gehling, J. G.; Rigby, J. K. (1996), "Long expected sponges from the Neoproterozoic Ediacara fauna of South Australia", Journal of Paleontology, 70 (2): 185–195, Bibcode:1996JPal...70..185G, doi:10.1017/S0022336000023283, ISSN 0022-3360, JSTOR 1306383185-195&rft.date=1996&rft_id=info:doi/10.1017/S0022336000023283&rft.issn=0022-3360&rft_id=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1306383#id-name=JSTOR&rft_id=info:bibcode/1996JPal...70..185G&rft.au=Gehling, J. G.&rft.au=Rigby, J. K.&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Palaeophragmodictya" class="Z3988">
^ ^a ^b ^c Serezhnikova, E. (2007), "Palaeophragmodictya spinosa sp. Nov., a bilateral benthic organism from the Vendian of the Southeastern White Sea Region", Paleontological Journal, 41 (4): 360–369, Bibcode:2007PalJ...41..360S, doi:10.1134/S0031030107040028, archived from the original on 2016-02-22, retrieved 2008-08-16360-369&rft.date=2007&rft_id=info:doi/10.1134/S0031030107040028&rft_id=info:bibcode/2007PalJ...41..360S&rft.au=Serezhnikova, E.&rft_id=http://www.maik.ru/cgi-perl/search.pl?type=abstract&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Palaeophragmodictya" class="Z3988">
^ Botting, J. P. (2007), ""Cambrian" demosponges in the Ordovician of Morocco: Insights into the early evolutionary history of …", Geobios, 40 (6): 737–748, Bibcode:2007Geobi..40..737B, doi:10.1016/j.geobios.2007.02.006737-748&rft.date=2007&rft_id=info:doi/10.1016/j.geobios.2007.02.006&rft_id=info:bibcode/2007Geobi..40..737B&rft.au=Botting, J. P.&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Palaeophragmodictya" class="Z3988">
^ Ivantsov, A. Y.; Malakhovskaya, Y. E.; Serezhnikova, E. A. (2004), "Some Problematic Fossils from the Vendian of the Southeastern White Sea Region" (PDF), Paleontological Journal, 38 (1): 1–9, archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-07-201-9&rft.date=2004&rft.au=Ivantsov, A. Y.&rft.au=Malakhovskaya, Y. E.&rft.au=Serezhnikova, E. A.&rft_id=http://vend.paleo.ru/pub/Ivantsov_et_al_2004_eng.pdf&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Palaeophragmodictya" class="Z3988">
^ Yuan, X.; Xiao, S.; Parsley, R. L.; Zhou, C.; Chen, Z.; Hu, J. (2002), "Towering sponges in an Early Cambrian Lagerstätte: Disparity between nonbilaterian and bilaterian epifaunal tierers at the Neoproterozoic-Cambrian transition", Geology, 30 (4): 363–366, Bibcode:2002Geo....30..363Y, doi:10.1130/0091-7613(2002)030<0363:TSIAEC>2.0.CO;2, ISSN 0091-7613363-366&rft.date=2002&rft.issn=0091-7613&rft_id=info:doi/10.1130/0091-7613(2002)030<0363:TSIAEC>2.0.CO;2&rft_id=info:bibcode/2002Geo....30..363Y&rft.au=Yuan, X.&rft.au=Xiao, S.&rft.au=Parsley, R. L.&rft.au=Zhou, C.&rft.au=Chen, Z.&rft.au=Hu, J.&rft_id=http://geology.geoscienceworld.org/cgi/content/abstract/30/4/363&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Palaeophragmodictya" class="Z3988">

This prehistoric sponge article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[Gehling1996-1] Gehling, J. G.; Rigby, J. K. (1996), "Long expected sponges from the Neoproterozoic Ediacara fauna of South Australia", Journal of Paleontology, 70 (2): 185–195, Bibcode:1996JPal...70..185G, doi:10.1017/S0022336000023283, ISSN 0022-3360, JSTOR 1306383185-195&rft.date=1996&rft_id=info:doi/10.1017/S0022336000023283&rft.issn=0022-3360&rft_id=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1306383#id-name=JSTOR&rft_id=info:bibcode/1996JPal...70..185G&rft.au=Gehling, J. G.&rft.au=Rigby, J. K.&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Palaeophragmodictya" class="Z3988">

[Serezhnikova2007-2] Serezhnikova, E. (2007), "Palaeophragmodictya spinosa sp. Nov., a bilateral benthic organism from the Vendian of the Southeastern White Sea Region", Paleontological Journal, 41 (4): 360–369, Bibcode:2007PalJ...41..360S, doi:10.1134/S0031030107040028, archived from the original on 2016-02-22, retrieved 2008-08-16360-369&rft.date=2007&rft_id=info:doi/10.1134/S0031030107040028&rft_id=info:bibcode/2007PalJ...41..360S&rft.au=Serezhnikova, E.&rft_id=http://www.maik.ru/cgi-perl/search.pl?type=abstract&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Palaeophragmodictya" class="Z3988">

[Botting2007-3] Botting, J. P. (2007), ""Cambrian" demosponges in the Ordovician of Morocco: Insights into the early evolutionary history of …", Geobios, 40 (6): 737–748, Bibcode:2007Geobi..40..737B, doi:10.1016/j.geobios.2007.02.006737-748&rft.date=2007&rft_id=info:doi/10.1016/j.geobios.2007.02.006&rft_id=info:bibcode/2007Geobi..40..737B&rft.au=Botting, J. P.&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Palaeophragmodictya" class="Z3988">

[Ivantsov2004-4] Ivantsov, A. Y.; Malakhovskaya, Y. E.; Serezhnikova, E. A. (2004), "Some Problematic Fossils from the Vendian of the Southeastern White Sea Region" (PDF), Paleontological Journal, 38 (1): 1–9, archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-07-201-9&rft.date=2004&rft.au=Ivantsov, A. Y.&rft.au=Malakhovskaya, Y. E.&rft.au=Serezhnikova, E. A.&rft_id=http://vend.paleo.ru/pub/Ivantsov_et_al_2004_eng.pdf&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Palaeophragmodictya" class="Z3988">

[Yuan2002-5] Yuan, X.; Xiao, S.; Parsley, R. L.; Zhou, C.; Chen, Z.; Hu, J. (2002), "Towering sponges in an Early Cambrian Lagerstätte: Disparity between nonbilaterian and bilaterian epifaunal tierers at the Neoproterozoic-Cambrian transition", Geology, 30 (4): 363–366, Bibcode:2002Geo....30..363Y, doi:10.1130/0091-7613(2002)030<0363:TSIAEC>2.0.CO;2, ISSN 0091-7613363-366&rft.date=2002&rft.issn=0091-7613&rft_id=info:doi/10.1130/0091-7613(2002)030<0363:TSIAEC>2.0.CO;2&rft_id=info:bibcode/2002Geo....30..363Y&rft.au=Yuan, X.&rft.au=Xiao, S.&rft.au=Parsley, R. L.&rft.au=Zhou, C.&rft.au=Chen, Z.&rft.au=Hu, J.&rft_id=http://geology.geoscienceworld.org/cgi/content/abstract/30/4/363&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Palaeophragmodictya" class="Z3988">

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]