fission

In the structure of modular organization of the Late Cretaceous hexactinellid sponges, the terminal position is assigned to colonial forms, with skeletons peculiar for complex, intricate structures. Primitive (primary) and genuine (secondary) colonies have been revealed. Skeletons of the primary forms, generally with multiple numbers of equivalent modules and oscula, differ morphologically from the genuine colonies in undeveloped module connecting elements, such as junctions and wall closures, and in the lack of ostia

In morphogenesis of the Late Cretaceous skeletal sponges – hexactinellids – certain tendencies may be traced that allow to distinguish forms of diverse levels of modular organization (?polyoscula? sponges) among the unitary representatives of the group. Skeletons of the sponges from the primary level of modular forms, autonomies, represent an example of the initial module polymerization, with the principal polymerization mechanism involving diverse variants of gemmation and/or fission