WEWOKELLA COSTATA NEW SPECIES, A LARGE HETERACTINID CALCAREOUS SPONGEFROM THE UPPER MISSISSIPPIAN HARTSELLE SANDSTONE IN NORTHEASTERN ALABAMA

Several specimens of the gigantic new species, Wewokella costata, have been recovered from the Upper Missisippian Hartselle Sandstone of Mar shall County, east of Huntsville, in northeastern Alabama. The large s ponges have flutted columnar growths and basic skeletons of triactines that are grossly encrusted or overgrown by calcium carbonate to produ ce massive fused skeletons. These are the oldest and largest specimens of Wewokella yet certainly identified. Wewokella costata has a skelet on with reduced numbers of triactines, but with extensive calcareous c ement. The species could be in the lineage leading to the Inozoida Rig by and Senowbari-Daryan, 1996, which have spicule-free skeletons of sp haeroidal aragonite.