Crambeidae Lévi, 1963

Łukowiak, Magdalena, 2015, Late Eocene siliceous sponge fauna of southern Australia: reconstruction based on loose spicules record, Zootaxa 3917 (1), pp. 1-65 : 35-36

Family Crambeidae Lévi, 1963

Only a single pseudoastrose acanthotylote ( Fig. 19 O) that closely resembles those of Discorhabdella incrustans Dendy 1924 , has been found in the studied material (compare with Dendy 1924, pl. 15, figs. 34B, 35; and Fig.

20C). Despite the fact that morphologically the spicules seem to be very similar, the Eocene spicule described here is much bigger (about 180 Μm) than the one described by van Soest (2002c) which was only 35 Μm. Unfortunately, neither the warty-headed tylostyles, nor the polidentate isochelae, characteristic for this species, have been found in the studied material. This crambeid sponge is known today only from New Zealand (Three Kings Island; van Soest 2002c). It may suggest that this spicule belongs to Discorhabdella incrustans . Similar spicules were described from the Late Eocene of New Zealand by Hinde & Holmes (1892; figs. 12.1, 2).

Figures

FIGURE 19. Spicules of sponges of the order Poecilosclerida; A – E—Anisodiscorhabds of Sigmosceptrella quadrilobata, family Podospongiidae; F – H—Exotyles of Mycale (Rhaphidotheca) cf. loricata, family Mycalidae; I – L—Exotyles of Mycale (Rhaphidotheca) sp., family Mycalidae; M, N—Dischelae of Coelodischela cf. massa, family Guitarridae; O—Pseudoastrose acanthotylote of Discorhabdella cf. incrustans, family Crambeidae; P—Discorhabd of Sigmosceptrella quadrilobata, family Podospongiidae; Q – T—Acanthostyles of the family Myxyllidae, order Poecilosclerida.

FIGURE 20. Spicules of recent sponges of the order Poecilosclerida; A—Anisodiscorhabds of Sigmosceptrella carlinae (redrawn from Boury-Esnault & van Beveren 1982); B—Anisodiscorhabds of Sigmosceptrella quadrilobata (redrawn from Kelly & Samaai 2002); C—Pseudoastrose acanthotylote of Discorhabdella incrustans (redrawn from van Soest 2002 c); D, E—Exotyles of Mycale (Rhaphidotheca) loricata (redrawn from van Soest & Hajdu 2002, after Topsent 1896); F, G—Dischelae of Coelodischela diatomorpha (redrawn from Hajdu & Lerner 2002, after Vacelet et al. 1976).