Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-xbtfd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T01:07:56.935Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

A First Account of Freshwater Potamolepid Sponges (Demospongiae, Spongillina, Potamolepidae) from the Middle Eocene: Biogeographic and Paleoclimatic Implications

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 October 2015

Andrzej Pisera
Affiliation:
Institute of Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. Twarda 51/55, 00–818 Warszawa, Poland,
Peter A. Siver
Affiliation:
Connecticut College, Botany Department, New London, Connecticut 06320, USA,
Alexander P. Wolfe
Affiliation:
Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E3, Canada

Abstract

We report the oldest fossil occurrence of freshwater potamolepid sponges (Demospongiae, Spongillina, Potamolepidae) to date, originating from middle Eocene lake sediments accumulated in the Giraffe kimberlite maar, northern Canada. Sponges are represented by strongyle spicules that are gemmuloscleres. These are described herein as belonging to a new species, Potamophloios canadensis. Because the most similar extant potamolepid sponges inhabit subtropical to tropical water bodies, these observations provide further evidence of biogeographic reorganizations in response to warm high-latitude Eocene paleoclimates.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Paleontological Society 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Annandale, N. 1911. Freshwater Sponges, Hydroids and Polyzoa. Porifera, p. 27–126, 241245. InShipley, A. E.(ed.), Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Taylor and Francis, London.Google Scholar
Arndt, W. 1936. Die von Dr. A. Monard in Angola gesammelten Suswasserschwamme. Mit einem Uberblick uber die Spongilliden-fauna Africas nach dem gegenwartigen Stand unserer Kentnisse. Arquivos do Museu Bocage, 7:735.Google Scholar
Brien, P. 1967. Éponges du Luapula et du Lac Moero, p. 152. InSymoens, J. J.(ed.), Exploration hydrobiologique du Lac Bangweoloet du Luapula: Résultats Scientifiques. Cercle hydrobiologique de Bruxelles, 11 (1).Google Scholar
Brien, P. 1970. Les Potamolépides africaines. Polyphylétismedes Eponges d'eau douce. Archives de Zoologie expérimentale et générale, 110:527561Google Scholar
Doria, G., Royer, D. L., Wolfe, A. P., Fox, A., Westgate, J. A., and Beerling, D. J. 2011. Declining atmospheric CO2 during the late middle Eocene climate transition. American Journal of Science, 311:6375.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dunagan, S. P. 1999. A North American freshwater sponge (Eospongilla morrisonensis new genus and species) from the Morrison Formation (Upper Jurassic), Colorado. Journal of Paleontology, 73:389393.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Erpenbeck, D., Weier, T., de Voogd, N. J., Wörheide, G., Sutcliffe, P., Todd, J. A., and Michel, E. 2011. Insights into the evolution of freshwater sponges (Porifera: Demospongiae: Spongillina): barcoding and phylogenetic data from Lake Tanganyika endemics indicate multiple invasions and unsettle existing taxonomy. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 61:231236CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Frost, T. M. 2001. Freshwater sponges, p. 253262. InSmol, J. P., Birks, H. J. B. and Last, W. M.(eds.), Tracking Environmental Change Using Lake Sediments. Volume 3: Terrestrial, Algal, and Siliceous Indicators. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands.Google Scholar
Frost, T. M., Reiswig, H., and Ricciardi, A. 2001. Porifera, p. 97133. InThrop, J. H. and Covich, A. P.(eds.), Ecology and Classification of North American Freshwater Invertebrates, 2nd edition. Academic Press, San Diego.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gruber, G. 1994. Kieselschwammm-Nadeln aus dem Mitteleozane des Eckerfelder Maares, Eifel (Porifera: Demospongiae: Spongillidae). Mainzer naturwisseschaftlischer Archiv, 32:16.Google Scholar
Hooper, J. N. A. and Van Soest, R. W. M.(eds.). 2002. Systema Porifera: a guide to the classification of sponges. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York, 1708p.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hooper, J. N. A., Van Soest, R. W. M., and Pisera, A. 2011. Phylum Porifera Grant, 1826, p. 1318. InZhang, Z.-Q.(ed.), Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher-level classification and survey of taxonomic richness. Zootaxa, 3148.Google Scholar
Jaffé, G. 1916. Zwei Schwämme aus dem Tanganjikasee (Spongilla moorei Evans und Potamolepis stendelli n. sp.). Zoologischer Anzeiger, 48 (3):514.Google Scholar
Manconi, R. and Pronzato, R. 2004. The genus Corvospongilla Annandale (Haplosclerida, Spongillina, Spongillidae) with description of a new species from eastern Mesopotamia, Iraq. Archive fur Hydrobiologie: Supplements, 151/1–2, Monographic studies, p. 161189.Google Scholar
Manconi, R. and Pronzato, R. 2008. Global diversity of sponges (Porifera: Spongillina) in freshwater. Hydrobiologia, 595:2733.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Manconi, R. and Pronzato, R. 2002. Spongillina n.suborder, Lubomirskidae, Malawispongiidae n. fam., Metaniidae, Metschnikowiidae, Paleospongillidae, Potamolepiidae, Spongillidae, p. 9211019. InHooper, H. J. N. and Van Soest, R. W. M.(eds.), Systema Porifera: A Guide to the Classification of Sponges, Vol. 1. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Manconi, R. and Pronzato, R. 2005. Freshwater sponges of the West Indies: discovery of Spongillidae (Haplosclerida, Spongillina) from Cuba with biogeographic notes and a checklist for the circum-Caribbean area. Journal of Natural History, 39:32353253.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Manconi, R. and Pronzato, R. 2009. Atlas of African freshwater sponges. Studies in Afrotropical Zoology, 295:1214.Google Scholar
Manconi, R., Ruengsawang, N., Ledda, F. D., Hanjavanit, C., and Sangpradub, N. 2012. Biodiversity assessment in the Lower Mekong basin: first record of the genus Oncosclera (Porifera: Spongillina: Potamolepidae) from the Oriental Region. Zootaxa, 3544:4151.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Matsuoka, K. and Masuda, Y. 2000. A new potamolepid freshwater sponge (Demospongiae) from the Miocene Nakamura Formation, central Japan. Paleontological Research, 4:131137.Google Scholar
Meixner, M. J., Lüter, C., Eckert, C., Itskovich, V., Janussen, D., von Rintelen, T., Bohne, A. V., Meixner, J. M., and Hess, W. R. 2007. Phylogenetic analysis of freshwater sponges provide evidence for endemism and radiation in ancient lakes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 45:875886.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Müller, W. E. G., Zahn, R. K., and Maidhof, A. 1982. Spongilla guttenbergiana n.sp. ein Suswasserschwamm aus dem Mittel-Eozane von Messel. Senckenbergiana Lethea, 63:465472.Google Scholar
Nicacio, G., Severt, W., and Pinheiro, U. 2011. New species of Radiospongilla (Porifera: Spongillidae) from Brazilian inland waters. Zootaxa, 3132:5663.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nowicki, T., Crawford, B., Dyck, D., Carlson, J., McElroy, R., Oshust, P., and Helmstaedt, H. 2004. The geology of kimberlite pipes of the Ekati property, Northwest Territories, Canada. Lithos, 76:127.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ott, E. and Volkheimer, W. 1972. Paleospongilla chubutensis n. g. et n. sp. Ein Süsswasserschwamm aus der Kreide Patagoniens. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie Abhandlungen, 140:4963.Google Scholar
Pinheiro, U. dos Santos. 2007. Contribuições a Taxonomia e Biogeografia das Esponjas de Águas Continentais Brasileiras. Unpublished thesis, UFRJ, Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro, 233p.Google Scholar
Pisera, A. 2006. Palaeontology of sponges—a review. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 84:242261.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pisera, A. 2010. A high diversity Middle Eocene freshwater sponge fauna from the Giraffe Pipe crater lake, Canada. VIII World Sponge Conference 2010, Girona, Book of Abstracts, 93.Google Scholar
Pisera, A. and Saez, A. 2003. Paleoenvironmental significance of a new species of freshwater sponge from the Late Miocene Quillagua Formation (N. Chile). Journal of South American Earth Studies, 15:847852.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pisera, A., Siver, P., and Wolfe, A. 2008. Middle Eocene freshwater sponges from Canada: preliminary report. Ninth Paleontological Conference, Warszawa, Abstracts, 7071.Google Scholar
Pronzato, R. and Manconi, R. 2001. Atlas of European freshwater sponges. Annali Museo Civico Storia Naturale Ferrara 4:364.Google Scholar
Rauff, H. 1926. Über prämitteleozäne fossilfuhrende Süswasser-Hornsteine aus der Namib. p. 160166. InKaiser, E.(ed.), Die Diamantenwuste Südwest-Afrikas, Bd. 2. D. Deimer, Berlin.Google Scholar
Reitner, J. and Woerheide, G. 2002. Non-Lithistid fossil Demospongiae—Origins of their palaeobiodiversity and highlights in history of preservation, p. 5268. InHooper, H. J. N. and Van Soest, R. W. M.(eds.), Systema Porifera: A Guide to the Classification of Sponges, Vol. 1. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Richter, G. and Wuttke, M. 1995. Der Messel Suüsswasser-Kieselschwamm Spongilla gutenbergiana, eine Ephydatia. Natur und Museum 125:134135.Google Scholar
Richter, G. and Wuttke, M. 1999. Lutetiospongilla heili n. gen. n. sp. und die eozäne Spongillidefauna von Messel. Courier Forschung-Institute Senckenberg, 216:183195.Google Scholar
Ruengsawang, N., Sangpradub, N., Hanjavanit, C., and Manconi, R. 2012. Biodiversity assessment of the Lower Mekong Basin: a new species of Corvospongilla (Porifera: Spongillina: Spongillidae) from Thailand. Zootaxa, 3320:4755.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schindler, T., Wuttke, M., and Poschmann, M. 2008. Oldest record of freshwater sponges (Porifera: Spongillina) spiculite finds in the Permo-Carboniferous of Europe. Paläontlogische Zeitschrfit, 82:373384.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Siver, P. A., Pelczar, J. M., Lott, A. M., and Pisera, A. 2010. The Giraffe Pipe database project: a web-based database for siliceous microfossils from a freshwater Eocene waterbody. Proceedings of the Seventh International Chrysophyte Symposium New London, Connecticut, June 2008. Nova Hedwigia Beihefte, 136:325331.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Siver, P. A. and Wolfe, A. P. 2005. Eocene scaled chrysophytes with pronounced modern affinities. International Journal of Plant Sciences, 166:533536.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Siver, P. A. and Wolfe, A. P. 2009. Tropical ochrophyte algae from the Eocene of Northern Canada: a biogeographical response to past global warming. Palaios, 24:192198CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sollas, W. J. 1885. A Classification of the sponges. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 5, 16 (95):395.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Volkmer-Ribeiro, C. 2007. South American continental sponges: state of the art of the research. Porifera Research: Biodiversity, Innovation and Sustainability—M. Custódio, R., Lôbo-Hajdu, G., Hajdu, E., Muricy, G.(eds.), Série Livros 28. Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro.Google Scholar
Volkmer-Ribeiro, C. and de Rosa Barbosa, R. 1978. A new genus and species of neotropical freshwater sponges. Iheringia. Série Zoologia, 52:103107.Google Scholar
Volkmer-Ribeiro, C. and Reitner, J. 1991. Renewed study of the type material of Paleospongilla chubutensis Ott and Volkheimer (1972), p. 121133. InReitner, J. and Keupp, H.(eds.), Fossil and Recent Sponges, Springer, Berlin.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Volkmer-Ribeiro, C., da Conceiçao, M., Tavares, M., and Fürstenau de Oliveira, K. 2009. Acanthothyra alvarenagai (Porifera, Demospongiae) new genus and species of sponge from Tocantins Rivers, Pará State, Brasil. Iheringia, Serie Zoologia, 99:345348.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Volkmer-Ribeiro, C., Parolin, M., Furstenau-Oliveira, K., and de Menezes, W. R. 2010. Colonization of hydroelectric reservoirs in Brazil by freshwater sponges, with special attention on Itaipu. Interciencia, 35:340347.Google Scholar
Wolfe, A. P., Edlund, M. B., Sweet, A. R., and Creighton, S. D. 2006. A first organelle preservation in Eocene nonmarine diatoms: observation and paleobiological implications. Palaios, 21:298304.CrossRefGoogle Scholar