Sponge, skin or what?

[Chris. D. Wright]

Found on Pakefield beach Suffolk UK. Any ideas as to what it could be please.

[Tidgy's Dad]

Yes, a rather nice fossil sponge, methinks. 

[Chris. D. Wright]

How old could it be?

[piranha]

It appears to match within the Cretaceous Ventriculitidae. Perhaps @TqB  Tarquin can assist further with a specific ID.

 

 

Smith, J.T. 1847

On the Ventriculidae of the Chalk; Including the Description of Peculiar Characters of Structure Observed in their Tissues.

Annals and Magazine of Natural History, 20(131):73-97  PDF LINK

[Tidgy's Dad]

It will be Late Cretaceous in age 

[Chris. D. Wright]

Thank you all

[TqB]

16 hours ago, piranha said:

It appears to match within the Cretaceous Ventriculitidae. Perhaps @TqB  Tarquin can assist further with a specific ID.

 

I don't recognize it I'm afraid (I only dabble in these!). It is a beautiful specimen and I don't think it's one of the common ones. 
It does look a reasonable match for the second plate fig. 3 but I'm not sure that one's still still regarded as ventriculitid and I can't see the name in the pdf - perhaps it's in the "to be continued" section.

[piranha]

8 hours ago, TqB said:

I don't recognize it I'm afraid (I only dabble in these!). It is a beautiful specimen and I don't think it's one of the common ones. 
It does look a reasonable match for the second plate fig. 3 but I'm not sure that one's still still regarded as ventriculitid and I can't see the name in the pdf - perhaps it's in the "to be continued" section.

 

 

As you suggested, the plate descriptions appear in a subsequent section.

Fig. 3: Ventriculites impressus. This is a description update of Smith 1847-48.

 

 

Hinde, GJ. 1883.

Catalogue of the Fossil Sponges in the Geological
Department of the British Museum (Natural History).

Taylor & Francis: London, pp: 1-248, plts: I-XXXVIII

[TqB]

1 hour ago, piranha said:

 

 

As you suggested, the plate descriptions appear in a subsequent section.

Fig. 3: Ventriculites impressus. This is a description update of Smith 1847-48.

 

Hinde, GJ. 1883.

Catalogue of the Fossil Sponges in the Geological
Department of the British Museum (Natural History).

Taylor & Francis: London, pp: 1-248, plts: I-XXXVIII

 

Thank you! (The Hinde Catalogue is still a very valuable reference. I treasure my original copy with it's beautiful plates.  )