Zittelella op het spoor

The assemblage of erratic Ordovician sponges from Baltica collected in the NE-part of The Netherlands and adjacent German boarder area demonstrates striking similarities with those of North-America (Laurentia), China, Argentina and Australia. However, extensive investigations show distinct characteristics of each of the associations. Until recently, the anthaspidellid Zittelella, which is common in Middle-Ordovician strata of North-America, had not been recognized in the Baltic assemblage. The first specimen, a silicified erratic sponge body from Gotland, Sweden, has been recognized in the collections the Museum of Evolution, Uppsala University (Sweden), which was followed by some more erratic specimens from The Netherlands.