Palaeophragmodictya
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| Palaeophragmodictya Temporal range: Late Ediacaran, | |
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| Fossil of P. spinosa | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Porifera |
| Class: | Hexactinellida |
| Order: | †Reticulosa |
| Genus: | †Palaeophragmodictya Gehling & Rigby, 1996 |
| Species | |
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Palaeophragmodictya is an extinct genus of sponge-grade organisms from the Ediacaran Period. Originally interpreted as a hexactinellid sponge,[1] the organism also bears some coelomate characteristics, including bilateral symmetry.[2][3]
The organisms take the form of a rounded, dome-like bag, 7–68 mm in diameter, with an uneven margin. Radial grooves define sac-like compartments within the bag. The radial pattern has an element of bilateral symmetry. A stalk emerges from the central point of some specimens, at the top of the organism; in life, it probably extended into the water column. Ray-like filaments radiate outwards from the edge of the bag.[2] Some structures in the organism have been interpreted as spicules.[1][4]
Ecology
Original description
The genus was originally considered to be a member of the Dictyospongiidae family (Hexactinellia), and was among the first Precambrian sponges to be described.[1]
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