Protospongia
| Protospongia Temporal range: Late Cambrian - Early Devonian[1]
| |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Porifera |
| Class: | Hexactinellida |
| Order: | †Reticulosa |
| Genus: | †Protospongia |
| Species: | †P. hicksi
|
| Binomial name | |
| †Protospongia hicksi | |
Protospongia is a genus of Porifera known from the Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale. Template:Gpb abundance
Description
Modern sponges are widely agreed to be descendants of the earliest cell colonies that evolved into modern animals. The earliest fossil evidence for sponges are tiny sponge spicules, which first appeared very close to the end of the Proterozoic era. They probably evolved as protection, as well as support, during the great arms race at the start of the Cambrian explosion.
External links
References
- ^ Botting, J. (2007). "'Cambrian' demosponges in the Ordovician of Morocco: Insights into the early evolutionary history of sponges". Geobios. 40 (6): 737–748. doi:10.1016/j.geobios.2007.02.006.
- ^ A monograph of the British fossil sponges. Hinde, G. J., 1888, Part 2, 93-188
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