Abstract
The Cemitério Paleolake, Catalão, Goiás, is a lacustrine deposit that is rich in spicules of continental sponges. These spicules, which are present in three sections (1-3), were analyzed for the taxonomic identification of the species in order to reconstruct the late Quaternary palaeoenvironment. An indigenous assemblage of lentic sponges was found, consisting of Metania spinata (Carter 1881), Dosilia pydanieli Volkmer-Ribeiro (1992), Radiospongilla amazonensis Volkmer-Ribeiro and Maciel (1983), Trochospongilla variabilis Bonetto and Ezcurra de Drago (1973), Corvomeyenia thumi (Traxler 1895), Heterorotula fistula Volkmer-Ribeiro and Motta (1995), plus Corvoheteromeyenia australis (Bonetto and Ezcurra de Drago 1966), which here has its first record in an assemblage formed by biosiliceous deposits. Furthermore, at the base of the sections, spicules of sponges from lotic environments were detected, including Corvospongilla seckti Bonetto and Ezcurra de Drago (1966), Oncosclera navicella (Carter 1881) and Eunapius fragilis (Leidy 1851), which suggests a contribution from flowing water. We identified 25 spongofacies horizons caused by sponge assemblages typical of a lentic environment, dated from at least 39,700 years BP., and currently occurring in lakes typical of the Cerrado Biome.
Highlights
Continental sponges (Phylum Porifera) are animals that can be found in any, permanent or temporary, body of fresh water under natural conditions, e.g., rivers, lakes and in coastal mixohaline environments
The spicules found in the rocks of the Cemitério Paleolake revealed a predominance of sponges typical of lentic paleoenvironments: Metania spinata (Carter 1881), Dosilia pydanieli Volkmer-Ribeiro (1992), Radiospongilla amazonensis VolkmerRibeiro and Maciel (1983), Trochospongilla variabilis Bonetto and Ezcurra de Drago (1973), Corvoheteromeyenia australis (Bonetto and Ezcurra de Drago 1966), Corvomeyenia thumi (Traxler 1895) and Heterorotula fistula VolkmerRibeiro and Motta (1995) (Figs. 4, 5; Tables I, II, III, IV, V, IX, X)
Except for the species C. australis, the lentic assemblage found in the rocks of the Cemitério paleolake was recorded in spongillite deposits in the Cerrado region of Conceição das Alagoas and Santa Vitória, Minas Gerais State; São Simão, Goiás State; Paranaiba, Mato Grosso do Sul State, and Porto Ferreira, São Paulo State (VolkmerRibeiro and Motta 1995, Volkmer-Ribeiro 1992, Almeida et al 2009)
Summary
Continental sponges (Phylum Porifera) are animals that can be found in any, permanent or temporary, body of fresh water under natural conditions, e.g., rivers, lakes and in coastal mixohaline environments. They are sessile and live attached to a submerged or an emergent substrate, such as macrophyte. The body of the sponge remains in the water column, and the spongin rapidly decomposes, releasing the siliceous spicules that are deposited in sediments. When the drainage is reduced and the production of the sponge is voluminous, the accumulation of these spicules in sediments can produce biosiliceous mineral deposits known as spongillites (Volkmer-Ribeiro 1992, VolkmerRibeiro and Motta 1995)
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