Siliceous spicules from the basal-Cambrian Soltanieh Formation are the oldest reliable sponge remains under the cited candidate-by-candidate diagnostic reassessment.
claim:event:soltanieh-basal-cambrian-spiculesBasal-Cambrian Soltanieh sponge spicules
A critical survey distinguishes diagnostic basal-Cambrian spicules from older structures rejected as abiotic or non-diagnostic.
Represented range536–533 Ma
RegionsSoltanieh Formation, northern Iran
CladesHexactinellida · Porifera
Claim ledger
References
- Giving the early fossil record of sponges a squeezeAntcliffe, J.B.; Callow, R.H.T.; Brasier, M.D. · 2014 · DOI 10.1111/brv.12090