Upper Ordovician Sponge-Maquoketa Formation

[Caleb]

All I can say is that it's a sponge... I've looked through "Sponges of the Ordovician Maquoketa Formation in Minnesota and Iowa" Rigby and Bayer, 1971 and can't seem to find a match there. The Maquoketa is similar in age to some of the formations in the Cincinnati area if that helps at all.

Sponge

Maquoketa Formation, Elgin member

Upper Ordovician, Richmondian

Northeast Iowa

Size: 2.1cm long 1.7cm wide across bottom.

Edited October 8, 2013 by Caleb

[Bev]

That is unique! I would have taken it for a bryozoan.

[Herb]

does look like a sponge, don't know what one though. Nice!

[squalicorax]

Hey caleb. It might listed here http://paleodb.org/?a=basicCollectionSearch&collection_no=120505

the reference for the collection is J. K. Rigby and T. N. Bayer. 1971. Sponges of the Ordovician Maquoketa Formation in Minnesota and Iowa. Journal of Paleontology 45(4):608-627

I likely have access to the pdf if you want it.

Also take a look here https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=r2ljVr5gzhm9RM&tbnid=PGoDQGwqswThBM:&ved=0CAEQjxw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fkirj.ee%2Fpublic%2FEstonian_Journal_of_Earth_Sciences%2F2009%2Fissue_1%2Fearth-2009-1-24-37.pdf&ei=m-dWUrLGMdKy4AP1m4GABQ&bvm=bv.53760139,d.dmg&psig=AFQjCNERWxjpQEXtlc4zMKuqR7Mu2Fty-A&ust=1381513492959740

Edited October 10, 2013 by squalicorax

[Caleb]

I recently got the PDF and it certainly helped me nail down some of the other sponges I've collected out of the Maquoketa, but I can't picture a good match. Aulocopella seems to be the closest, but the shape and number of nodes are throwing me off.

[piranha]

I agree it looks nothing like any of the sponges figured in the Rigby paper. Searching for a similar Paleozoic genus in the Treatise and found Caliculospongia recorded from the upper Ordovician of Kentucky. There is another Treatise figure showing it with a shallow cloacal depression at the top, so curious if a layer of matrix is somewhat obscuring that feature in your last photo?

 

 

 

 

[Evgeny Kotelevsky]

All I can say is that it's a sponge... I've looked through "Sponges of the Ordovician Maquoketa Formation in Minnesota and Iowa" Rigby and Bayer, 1971 and can't seem to find a match there. The Maquoketa is similar in age to some of the formations in the Cincinnati area if that helps at all.

Sponge

Maquoketa Formation, Elgin member

Upper Ordovician, Richmondian

Northeast Iowa

Size: 2.1cm long 1.7cm wide across bottom.

img_011.jpg img_001.jpg img_002.jpg

May be, it is only part of a sponge, so you can't understand clearly what sponge it is

I recently got the PDF and it certainly helped me nail down some of the other sponges I've collected out of the Maquoketa, but I can't picture a good match. Aulocopella seems to be the closest, but the shape and number of nodes are throwing me off.

Can you show other Ordovician sponges you've collected? )))

[Evgeny Kotelevsky]

In Russia, near St.Petersburg, there are several good spots with Ordovician sponges.

Some photos of Ordovician sponges from St.Petersburg's spots, may be they will help you to identify your other sponges:

1. Carpospongia langei - http://www.ammonit.ru/foto/29567.htm

2. Caryospongia diadema - http://www.ammonit.ru/foto/29566.htm

3. Astylospongia praemorsa - http://www.ammonit.ru/foto/29570.htm and http://www.ammonit.ru/foto/29569.htm

4. Siphonia cylindrica - http://www.ammonit.ru/foto/29914.htm

[Caleb]

I agree it looks nothing like any of the sponges figured in the Rigby paper. Searching for a similar Paleozoic genus in the Treatise and found Caliculospongia recorded from the upper Ordovician of Kentucky. There is another Treatise figure showing it with a shallow cloacal depression at the top, so curious if a layer of matrix is somewhat obscuring that feature in your last photo? (img_002)

Caliculospongia.jpg

There is a depression on the top which is filled with matrix. The Elgin seems to correlate with the Waynesville and Liberty Formations in the Cincinnati region.

May be, it is only part of a sponge, so you can't understand clearly what sponge it is

Can you show other Ordovician sponges you've collected? )))

With the symmetry of the specimen I can't imagine it not being the complete sponge, though I certainly don't dismiss the idea as I'm not a sponge collector. There doesn't seem to be any obvious broken areas where the sponge appears to be from a larger structure.

I will put an entry in the "Show us your Sponges" post showing other Maquoketa sponges I've collected.