Demospongiae

Demosponges or common sponges are sponges of the class Demospongiae, the most diverse group in the phylum Porifera which include greater than 90% of all extant sponges with nearly 8,800 species worldwide. Being siliceous sponges, they are predominantly leuconoid in structure with an endoskeleton made of a meshwork of spicules consisting of fibers of the protein spongin, the mineral silica, or both. Where spicules of silica are present, they have a different shape from those in the otherwise similar glass sponges. Some species, in particular from the Antarctic, obtain the silica for spicule-building from the ingestion of diatoms.

Demospongiae

Twilight Zone Expedition Team 2007, NOAA-OE · Public Domain · via Wikipedia/Commons. May be a photograph of a specimen, or an artist’s reconstruction — an interpretation of a skeleton, since colour and soft tissue are almost never preserved.

On record

Recorded, not inferred
Also called
demospongePBDB
Sits inside
PoriferaPBDB
Diet
suspension feederPBDB
Life habit
intermediate-level epifaunalPBDB
Motility
stationary, attachedPBDB
Vision
blindPBDB, for Porifera

Time the record covers

At least 538 million years on record.

The record covers at least 538.8 Mya to 11.7 ka. No occurrence read is dated outside 635 Mya to 0 Mya.

Cambrian — about 489 of 9383 occurrencesOrdovician — about 689 of 9383 occurrencesSilurian — about 230 of 9383 occurrencesDevonian — about 199 of 9383 occurrencesDevonianCarboniferous — about 214 of 9383 occurrencesCarboniferousPermian — about 3146 of 9383 occurrencesEarly Triassic — about 2 of 9383 occurrencesMiddle Triassic — about 244 of 9383 occurrencesLate Triassic — about 1473 of 9383 occurrencesEarly Jurassic — about 69 of 9383 occurrencesMiddle Jurassic — about 50 of 9383 occurrencesLate Jurassic — about 945 of 9383 occurrencesEarly Cretaceous — about 279 of 9383 occurrencesLate Cretaceous — about 1089 of 9383 occurrencesPaleocene — about 14 of 9383 occurrencesEocene — about 97 of 9383 occurrencesOligocene — about 12 of 9383 occurrencesMiocene — about 93 of 9383 occurrencesPliocene — about 10 of 9383 occurrencesPleistocene — about 31 of 9383 occurrences648–626 Mya — about 0.2 occurrences626–605 Mya — about 0.4 occurrences605–583 Mya — about 0.4 occurrences583–561 Mya — about 0.4 occurrences561–540 Mya — about 0.4 occurrences540–518 Mya — about 84 occurrences518–497 Mya — about 392 occurrences497–475 Mya — about 81 occurrences475–453 Mya — about 371 occurrences453–432 Mya — about 326 occurrences432–410 Mya — about 197 occurrences410–389 Mya — about 32 occurrences389–367 Mya — about 110 occurrences367–345 Mya — about 22 occurrences345–324 Mya — about 89 occurrences324–302 Mya — about 109 occurrences302–281 Mya — about 136 occurrences281–259 Mya — about 2631 occurrences259–237 Mya — about 614 occurrences237–216 Mya — about 754 occurrences216–194 Mya — about 754 occurrences194–173 Mya — about 55 occurrences173–151 Mya — about 802 occurrences151–130 Mya — about 237 occurrences130–108 Mya — about 180 occurrences108–86 Mya — about 315 occurrences86–65 Mya — about 831 occurrences65–43 Mya — about 54 occurrences43–22 Mya — about 68 occurrences22–0 Mya — about 138 occurrences538.8 Mya11.7 ka648 Mya0 Mya

9,383 occurrences of Demospongiae on record, most of them in the Permian. The Paleobiology Database records this as a living group. Bar height is expected occurrences, not a count: each fossil is spread across the span it is dated to, so a tall narrow bar means tight dating and a low wide one means loose.

When

9,383 occurrences

These are dates about fossils, not the animal: the record can only begin after it arose and end before it died out, so either end may reach further. Shares are expected occurrences: a fossil dated to a span is counted partly in each period it straddles. More on what this infers.

Found in

712 formations

Capitan Limestone — 32.29°N, 104.34°WCapitan Limestone — 32.18°N, 104.35°WCapitan Limestone — 32.12°N, 104.45°WCapitan — 32.19°N, 104.36°WCapitan — 32.29°N, 104.34°WCapitan — 31.91°N, 104.83°WCapitan — 31.89°N, 104.86°WCapitan — 32.12°N, 104.45°WCapitan — 32.18°N, 104.35°WCapitan — 32.15°N, 104.50°WJasna Gora — 50.07°N, 19.62°EJasna Gora — 50.45°N, 19.52°EJasna Gora — 50.42°N, 19.35°EJasna Gora — 50.73°N, 19.13°ENayband — 32.37°N, 57.47°ENayband — 30.97°N, 52.99°ENayband — 32.52°N, 57.37°ENayband — 33.53°N, 51.47°ENayband — 33.60°N, 51.00°ENayband — 33.97°N, 50.40°ENayband — 30.25°N, 57.17°ENayband — 32.93°N, 52.03°ENayband — 33.12°N, 51.98°ENayband — 34.12°N, 57.93°ENayband — 32.94°N, 51.93°ENayband — 34.07°N, 58.08°ENayband — 34.13°N, 58.20°ENayband — 31.82°N, 54.34°ESaikra Biohermal Complex — 33.45°N, 10.30°ESaikra Biohermal Complex — 33.43°N, 10.28°ESaikra Biohermal Complex — 33.41°N, 10.23°EBurgess Shale — 51.44°N, 116.47°WBurgess Shale — 51.38°N, 116.43°WBurgess Shale — 51.33°N, 116.35°WBurgess Shale — 51.05°N, 115.85°WMaokou — 24.42°N, 106.50°EMaokou — 24.90°N, 105.15°EMaokou — 24.92°N, 105.12°EMaokou — 24.02°N, 105.09°EMaokou — 28.00°N, 101.31°EMaokou — 28.26°N, 101.85°EMaokou — 31.12°N, 120.30°EMaokou — 25.50°N, 106.26°EChangxing — 29.42°N, 110.90°EChangxing — 29.92°N, 106.43°EChangxing — 24.90°N, 105.15°EChangxing — 29.89°N, 106.50°EChangxing — 24.91°N, 105.13°EChangxing — 30.38°N, 106.85°EChangxing — 29.83°N, 106.43°EChangxing — 30.48°N, 109.05°EChangxing — 30.05°N, 108.93°EChangxing — 30.08°N, 108.86°EChangxing — 25.83°N, 106.08°EChangxing — 30.92°N, 119.99°EChangxing — 25.50°N, 106.25°EChangxing — 28.04°N, 110.07°EChangxing — 28.01°N, 110.18°EChangxing — 31.76°N, 108.46°EMiddle Shaly Facies — 33.38°N, 10.22°ECassian — 46.64°N, 12.20°ECassian — 46.55°N, 11.93°ECassian — 46.52°N, 11.96°ECassian — 46.52°N, 11.65°ECassian — 46.68°N, 12.15°ECassian — 46.54°N, 12.25°ECassian — 46.52°N, 12.10°ECassian — 46.53°N, 12.15°ECassian — 46.57°N, 11.94°ECassian — 46.58°N, 12.25°ECassian — 46.51°N, 11.76°ELyudyanza — 42.90°N, 133.00°ELyudyanza — 42.85°N, 133.04°ELyudyanza — 42.79°N, 132.86°EDjebel Tebaga Biohermal Complex — 33.42°N, 10.18°ESan Juan — 30.00°S, 69.00°WSan Juan — 32.00°S, 69.00°WSan Juan — 31.00°S, 69.00°WSan Juan — 31.33°S, 68.55°WSan Juan — 30.50°S, 68.50°WSan Juan — 31.01°S, 68.76°WSan Juan — 30.14°S, 68.52°WSan Juan — 30.33°S, 68.62°WSan Juan — 30.58°S, 68.85°WSan Juan — 30.30°S, 68.82°WSan Juan — 30.41°S, 68.69°WDachstein — 47.45°N, 13.07°EDachstein — 47.58°N, 14.47°EDachstein — 47.50°N, 13.50°EDachstein — 47.63°N, 13.17°EDachstein — 48.00°N, 16.42°EDjebel Tebaga — 33.37°N, 10.18°EYu'anshan — 25.33°N, 103.50°EYu'anshan — 24.77°N, 102.58°EYu'anshan — 24.87°N, 102.83°EPanormide — 38.13°N, 13.38°EPanormide — 37.93°N, 14.08°EPanormide — 37.90°N, 14.00°EIlsenburg — 51.90°N, 10.67°EIlsenburg — 51.83°N, 10.78°EDelorme — 62.40°N, 127.07°WPrairie Bluff — 34.51°N, 88.92°WPrairie Bluff — 34.25°N, 88.97°WPrairie Bluff — 33.90°N, 88.98°WPrairie Bluff — 33.79°N, 88.97°WPrairie Bluff — 33.79°N, 88.91°WPrairie Bluff — 33.72°N, 88.90°WPrairie Bluff — 33.50°N, 88.81°WPrairie Bluff — 33.38°N, 88.74°WPrairie Bluff — 33.07°N, 88.61°WPrairie Bluff — 33.05°N, 88.56°WPrairie Bluff — 32.91°N, 88.51°WPrairie Bluff — 32.67°N, 88.29°WPrairie Bluff — 32.74°N, 88.36°WPrairie Bluff — 32.70°N, 88.17°WPrairie Bluff — 32.63°N, 88.22°WPrairie Bluff — 32.43°N, 88.04°WPrairie Bluff — 32.39°N, 87.92°WPrairie Bluff — 32.31°N, 87.80°WPrairie Bluff — 32.23°N, 87.50°WPrairie Bluff — 32.14°N, 87.42°WPrairie Bluff — 32.07°N, 87.33°WPrairie Bluff — 32.05°N, 86.99°WPrairie Bluff — 32.05°N, 86.81°WPrairie Bluff — 32.05°N, 86.81°WPrairie Bluff — 31.95°N, 86.70°WPrairie Bluff — 32.00°N, 86.48°WPrairie Bluff — 31.98°N, 86.00°WPrairie Bluff — 31.92°N, 86.17°WPrairie Bluff — 31.99°N, 85.92°WLechkogel — 47.42°N, 13.07°ELechkogel — 47.43°N, 13.67°ELechkogel — 47.55°N, 14.52°ELechkogel — 47.70°N, 15.53°ELechkogel — 46.77°N, 14.45°ELechkogel — 46.67°N, 14.85°ELechkogel — 48.00°N, 16.23°ELechkogel — 46.78°N, 14.47°EBone Spring — 31.32°N, 104.88°WBone Spring — 31.49°N, 104.96°WBone Spring — 31.91°N, 104.89°WBone Spring — 31.28°N, 104.85°WBone Spring — 31.50°N, 104.91°WBone Spring — 31.43°N, 104.93°WMalongulli — 33.58°S, 148.89°EMalongulli — 33.00°S, 148.00°EAl Jil — 23.13°N, 58.33°EAl Jil — 23.18°N, 58.42°E

Loading coastlines…

The named rock units Demospongiae has been recovered from, largest first. Drawn where the rock is now, not where it formed. 688 further formations hold fewer occurrences each and are not listed. 2,442 occurrences have no formation on record, which is common for older literature.

Demospongiae and its relatives

Permian

Where Demospongiae and its relatives were recorded in the Permian.

Found in the same rock

1,953 taxa

The Paleobiology Database records at least 804 sites for Demospongiae, and this reads 240 of them. The number is how many of those sites it was catalogued from too. The 24 sharing the most are listed.

This is not a list of everything alive at the time. It is only what has come out of the same ground as this animal and been written down.

Entered from

954 references

Each of the 9,383 occurrences read was entered from one of these publications, ordered by how many each accounts for. This is not a search for papers mentioning the name. 942 further references are not listed. Entries link to doi.org where the Paleobiology Database holds an identifier, and to its own record where it does not. Relayed as the Paleobiology Database holds them, not checked against what they resolve to.

Media and terms

Media content1

Picture of Demospongiae

Credit
Twilight Zone Expedition Team 2007, NOAA-OE
Licence
Public Domain
Commercial use
the licence allows it

No 3D scan of Demospongiae was found in MorphoSource and Sketchfab.

Smithsonian Open Access was not reached for this taxon, so this list is what the others held rather than everything there is.

The description on this site

Licence
CC BY-SA 4.0

This is what the site found, which is not the same as what exists.

Keep going

What may have been alongside itPorifera through timeFormations of the PermianThe world it lived on

Occurrence data from the Paleobiology Database, CC BY 4.0. (Sollas 1875)