Spongeliomorpha Saporta, 1887

DESCRIPTION: Vertically elongated, circular or oval chambers located above multiple branching points of the burrow network. More than one horizontal maze is developed as discrete tiers, connected to larger vertical shafts. Surfaces show angled, crisscross ornament of sublongitudinal ridges and grooves that cover all surfaces, commonly developed more strongly on floors than on roofs. Dominantly horizontal mazes of strongly ornamented cylindrical burrow-fills reaching 10 mm in diameter. Multiple branching-points occur. Features include the strong wall ornament, numerous chambers in the deeper tier, the discrepancy in size of shafts and galleries, and many openings to the seafloor.

BEHAVIOR(S): Suspension feeding, possibly gardening

ENVIRONMENTAL SETTINGS: Fully marine, down to about 95 m in recent sediments, fine grained muddy sea floors.

POSSIBLE TRACEMAKERS: Constructed by burrowing crustaceans

GEOLOGIC RANGE: Triassic-recent

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES: Emended by Calzada, 1981. D'Alessandro and Bromley, 1995.

REMARKS: