Upper Devonian Sponges from the Holy Cross Mountains, Central Poland

Abstract

The rich fauna of Late Devonian (Late Frasnian) siliceous sponges from the Holy Cross Mountains, Poland is composed of 15 species and 11 genera. Both astylospongid demosponges (lithistids) and hexactinosan hexactinellids are present. The following new genera and/or species are proposed: D regulara Rigby and Pisera sp. nov., Jazwicella media Rigby and Pisera gen. et sp. nov., Astyloscyphia irregularia Rigby and Pisera gen. et sp. nov., A. turbinata Rigby and Pisera gen. et sp. nov., Astylotuba modica Rigby and Pisera gen. et sp. nov., Paleoregulara cupula Rigby and Pisera gen. et sp. nov., Paleoramospongia bifurcata Rigby and Pisera gen. et sp. nov., Cordiospongia conica Rigby and Pisera gen. et sp. nov., Paleocraticularia elongata Rigby and Pisera gen. et sp. nov., P gigantia Rigby and Pisera gen. et sp. nov., Polonospongiadevonica Rigby and Pisera gen. et sp. nov., P fistulata Rigby and Pisera gen. et sp. nov., Urnospongia modica Rigby and Pisera gen. et sp. nov., and Conicospongia annulata Rigby and Pisera gen. et sp. nov. The investigated fauna contains the youngest astylospongiids known and the oldest well‐preserved, and most diversified Palaeozoic hexactinosans. The sponge fauna constituted a significant element of a brachiopod‐coral‐sponge assemblage that inhabited a deep slope of the local Dyminy Reef structure, during its final phase of growth, in a clearly hemipelagic setting. This fauna is limited to the intrashelf depression within an incipiently drowned carbonate platform.