Pisera, A.; Bitner, M. A. (2007). The sponge genus Brachiaster (Pachastrellidae, Demospongiae) and its first known fossil representative, from the late Eocene of southwestern Australia. Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology. 31(4): 365-373.

44031

10.1080/03115510701640629 [view]

Pisera, A.; Bitner, M. A.

2007

31(4): 365-373

Publication

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03115510701640629

Available for editors   [request]

The pachastrellid genus Brachiaster Wilson (Pachastrellidae, Demospongiae, Porifera) has had until now no known fossil representatives. Here we describe its first known fossil representative from the late Eocene of southwestern Western Australia, assigned to Brachiaster claudelevii sp. nov. Brachiaster claudelevii has well-developed axial canals in the mesotriders, which points to it being intermediate in character between the typical tetraxial desmas of lithistids, and tetraxial spicules of non-lithistid demosponges. This further supports the position of Brachiaster among the Pachastrellidae. The geographic and bathymetric distribution of the extant and newly described fossil representatives of Brachiaster indicates that the Eocene sponge described here is important in understanding the evolution of Indo-West Pacific sponges because it points to a long evolutionary history and complex biogeographic distribution of this lineage of pachastrellid sponges.

Australia

Systematics, Taxonomy

Porifera

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