SPONGE FOSSIL OF BRAZIL: REVIEW AND PERSPECTIVES

The Brazilian fossil record holds crucial information regarding the evolutionary history of many invertebrate groups (e.g., cnidarian, bryozoan and brachiopods). Most of them are well-distributed through the formations of intracratonic basins (Amazonas, Paraná, Sergipe-Alagoas and others), which have been studied since the first expeditions in the second half of the 19th century. Among the invertebrate groups, the phylum Porifera, recognized as one of the earliest-branching of metazoan kingdom, is rarely recovered and studied. Beyond the taphonomic biases, one of the reasons for the scant occurrence may be related to lack of interest and inability to recognize the organisms. Thus, aiming to ratify the poriferan presence in time and space on the Brazilian rocks, here we present a review. Despite previously reported, complete sponges are restricted to Carboniferous–Permian interval. Keywords: Porifera, South America, Brazilian basins, Phanerozoic.