Ordovician sponges from the Montgomery Limestone, Taylorsville area, northern Sierra Nevada, California, USA

 

Authors: Rigby JK, Potter AW, Anderson NK

Published in: Bulletin of Geosciences, volume 83, issue 3; pages: 299 - 310; Received 27 June 2008; Accepted in revised form 26 August 2008;

Keywords: Ordovician, Montgomery Limestone, Sierra Nevada, California, Girtyocoeliana, Amblysiphonella, Cliefdenella, Rigbyetia, Corymbospongia,

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Abstract

The modest faunule of silicified fossil demosponges, documented here, was recovered from the Upper Ordovician Montgomery Limestone in the Taylorsville area, in the northern Sierra Nevada of northern California. Included are specimens of the ceractinomorph angullongiid Amblysiphonelloidea tubulara Rigby & Potter, 1986, the girtyocoelliid Girtyocoeliana epiporata (Rigby & Potter, 1986), the sebargasiid Amblysiphonella sp., and the cliefdenellids Cliefdenella alaskaensis Stock, 1981, and Rigbyetia obconica (Rigby & Potter, 1986). In addition, specimens of the vaceletiid Corymbospongia adnata Rigby & Potter, 1986, are described and figured. The assemblage is closely related to faunules of sphinctozoan sponges earlier reported by Rigby & Potter (1986) from the eastern Klamath Mountains, to the west in northern California.

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