First fossil sponge from Antarctica and its palaeobiogeographical significance

• Published in: Journal of Paleontology
• Main Authors: Vodrážka, Radek, Crame, J. Alistair
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: The Paleontological Society 2011
• Subjects: Biology and Microbiology; Earth Sciences; Ross Island; Antarc*; Antarctica; James Ross Island
• Online Access: http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/13027/

Laocoetis piserai n. sp. (Hexactinellida, Porifera) from the mid-Cretaceous (i.e., Albian–Cenomanian) of James Ross Island is the first record of a fossil sponge from Antarctica. This new occurrence of a formerly widespread genus was restricted to relatively deep waters on the margins of an active volcanic arc. Its occurrence in Antarctica is further evidence that the genus Laocoetis underwent a dramatic reduction in its geographic range through the Cenozoic. The only living species of the genus at the present day is Laocoetis perion from Madagascar.