A varied Middle Ordovician sponge spicule assemblage from western Newfoundland

Abundant and morphologically fairly diverse siliceous sponge spicules of Da rriwilian (Middle Ordovician) age were collected from the Table Cove Format ion of Port au Port Peninsula, western Newfoundland. Without co-occurrence of appropriate sponge body fossils, it is difficult to refer these disartic ulated sponge spicules to existing or to new taxa. However, representatives of demosponges and hexactinellids are recognized. While marked differences are noted between older and younger lithistid dendroclones, for example, s picule form in these Middle Ordovician specimens is similar overall to prev iously known assemblages of various ages, demonstrating the morphologically conservative nature of the spicular skeleton.