A sponge fossil fauna from the Cambrian Shuijingtuo Formation, Qiaoji-aping Village, Yichang, Hubei Province
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Abstract:
Sponges are one of the most basic lineages among all animal lives. Their early evolutionary history is key to understanding the origin and early evolution of the whole kingdom Animalia. As indicated by the known fossil record, the relatively deep, dysoxic environment may have been an important domain for the early evolution of the phylum Porifera. Early Cambrian sponge fossil faunas have been reported from slope to basinal black shales of multiple localities in South China. The static hydrodynamic setting in such environments enables intact preservation of the sponge skeletal frame. The Shuijingtuo For-mation at the Qiaojiaping Village represents an intra-platform basin during the Cambrian Age 3. A diversified sponge fossil fauna is here described from the top of this formation, with fossils including sp. nov., sp. nov., cf. , , ? sp., and three taxonomically undetermined forms. Among them, and seem to be universal taxa in coeval deep water sponge faunas in South China. In addition, three types of root tufts are described. The morphological diversity of this fossil fauna enhances the concept that sponges have been successful and prosperous in relatively deep, dysoxic environments that most animals could not survive by approximately 515 Ma.
