Two Examples of Primarily, Late Paleozoic Marine-Invertebrate Fossils

These fossils are from the mid-continent region (e.g., Oklahoma, Texas, etc.) of North America. One of the fossils is a calcareous sponge, and the other fossil is a marine gastropod (snail). 

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Example Number 1. The calcareous sponge: Cotyliscus ewersi? See King (1943). Note: Intact sponge fossils are uncommon!

   Classification

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Porifera

Class Demospongea

Order Agelasilida

Family uncertain 

Genus Catyliscus? 

Type Species: C. ewersi 

Side and top views of a specimen of the calcareous sponge Cotyliscus?. Height 22 mm, diameter 30 mm. [note: Intact Paleozoic sponges, like the one shown here) are uncommon]. For a discussion and images of the type species of Catyliscus, see King (1943, pl. 3, figs. 2 and 3---cited herein, below).

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Example Number 2. The marine gastropod (snail) Worthenina tabulata. It lived during Devonian to Cretaceous time, in marine communities in the mid-continent region of North America, but most of its occurrences are late Paleozoic age. 

   Classification

Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Mollusca

Class Gastropoda

Order Pleurotomaiida

Family Lophospiridae

Genus Worthenina

Type Species: Worthenina tabulata

The geologic time range of this genus is Devonian to Triassic, but most occurrences are of Pennsylanian age.

Front and back views of a specimen of the gastropod (snail) shell of Worthenina tabulata. Height 20 mm, width 20 mm. This turban-shaped shell has a raised ridge along the margin (a so-called slit band) of the whorls. Small nodes occur along the edge of the whorls. The aperture opening of this species is large.

The geologic time range of this genus is Devonian to Triassic, but most occurrences are of Pennsylanian age.

Reference:

King, R. H. 1943. New Carboniferous and Permian sponges. Kansas State Geological Survey Bulletin 47, p. 1-36 [available online and for free].