Cretaceous sponges from the Campanian of Misburg and Höver
Pseudoscytalia * Schrammen 1924

Locality: Teutonia, Misburg
Height: 120 mm

Pseudoscytalia fastigata

Lee 1839

Pseudoscytalia fastigata is a cylindrical sponge with a cone-shaped top and a central tube-like paragaster. The surface shows concentric wrinkles in the cylindrical section and anastomosing furrows on the top.

Pseudoscytalia differs from Scytalia in the size and habit of the rhizoclones: Those of Scytalia turbinata are larger, more elongate, and less branched. Also, Pseudoscytalia has a dense cortex formed by closer arrangement of rhizoclones.

Locality: Teutonia, Misburg
Height: 190 mm

Pseudoscytalia fastigata

Locality: Alemannia, Höver
Height: 170 mm

Pseudoscytalia terebrata

Phillips 1835

Pseudoscytalia terebrata occurs in cylindrical to top-shaped habits.

The distinction between P.fastigata and P.terebrata is based only on size and aspect ratio, with Pseudoscytalia fastigata forming more slender, cylindrical habits which do not reach the size of larger Pseudoscytalia terebrata individuals. It also appears that Pseudoscytalia terebrata shows more clearly a radially arranged skeletal fibre related to aporhysal canals.

Locality: Alemannia, Höver
Height: 80 mm

A short example of ? Pseudoscytalia terebrata, perhaps an immature individual.

Locality: Alemannia, Höver.
Rhizoclone
Locality: Alemannia, Höver.
Rhizoclone
Locality: Alemannia, Höver.
Rhizoclone
Locality: Alemannia, Höver.
Rhizoclones
Locality: Alemannia, Höver.
Rhizoclones

The three images and two plates show a selection of typical rhizoclone scleres of Pseudoscytalia terebrata. The skeletal elements are comparatively small. Typical rhizoclones may be straight, arched or multiply branching and have conspicuous conical thorns.


*) Reid (2004) has inaccurately equated Jerea turbinata F.A.Roemer 1864 with Spongia terebrata Phillips 1835. Schrammen (1924) has shown that Jerea turbinata (=Scytalia turbinata Schrammen 1910) has a significantly different spiculation than his newly defined genus Pseudoscytalia Schrammen 1924, with Spongia terebrata Phillips 1835 as genotype.

The author has therefore added the missing genus Pseudoscytalia to the taxonomic scheme of the Treatise (Reid, 2004).

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