Insight into the evolutionary history of freshwater sponges: A new genus and new species of Spongillida (Porifera: Demospongiae) from Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Deccan intertrappean lacustrine deposits of the Malwa Group, Central India

New fossil freshwater sponges are recorded from the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) intertrappean lacustrine sediments of Malwa Group associated with Deccan volcanic province in Central India. The micro-palaeontological analysis of diagnostic spicular morphotraits supports the ascription of these f...

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Published in:Cretaceous research Vol. 126; p. 104851
Main Authors: Samant, Bandana, Pronzato, Roberto, Mohabey, Dhananjay Mahendrakumar, Kumar, Deepesh, Dhobale, Anup, Pizal, Priya, Manconi, Renata
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2021
Subjects:
Conservative morphology
Deccan volcanism
Fossil spicules
Gondwanaland
Intertrappean beds
Mesozoic Demospongiae
Palaeobiogeography
Fossil spicules
Mesozoic Demospongiae
Intertrappean beds
Palaeobiogeography
Gondwanaland
Conservative morphology
Deccan volcanism
ISSN:0195-6671, 1095-998X
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Summary:New fossil freshwater sponges are recorded from the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) intertrappean lacustrine sediments of Malwa Group associated with Deccan volcanic province in Central India. The micro-palaeontological analysis of diagnostic spicular morphotraits supports the ascription of these fossils to the order Spongillida. The description of new genus Palaeocorvospongilla (family Palaeospongillidae) is based on the entire spicular complement of Palaeocorvospongilla cretacea gen. et sp. nov. It is distinguished from other extant and fossil Spongillida by pseudobirotules and oxeas with morphometries, indicating a very large size of skeletal microscleres from Deccan intertrappean fossils. From an evolutionary point of view, data on Indian fossils indicate a clear trend of long term conservative morphology in the evolutionary history of this genus since the Upper Cretaceous. Fossil data also indicate an early splitting (Mesozoic) and spreading of freshwater sponges Spongillida taxa in the Asian continent.
ISSN:0195-6671
1095-998X
DOI:10.1016/j.cretres.2021.104851