Diverse and abundant siliceous sponge spicules were found in the latest Permian beds, Dongpan and Ma’anying sections, South
China, including 52 types and 85 forms. Further investigation on these spicules allows us to understand extinction patterns
and processes of deep-water sponges. These sponge spicules rapidly decreased below the Permian/Triassic boundary (PTB), and
the extinction rates reach up to 88%–90% for types and 88%–92% for forms. Their extinction pattern is a gradual one that consists
of two stages: the first is characterized by a gentle and slow extinction speed and low extinction rate, and the second by
sharp and fast extinction speed and high extinction rate. The morphological extinction process is involved in the disappearance
first of the triaxons and tetraxons, then of the polyaxons and demas, and last of monaxons. In exterior structure extinction,
the complex spicules with branches and spines became extinct more easily than did smooth spicules. After the end-Permian mass
extinction, only five common and smooth forms survived:
Oxeas A,
Oxeas B,
Strongles B,
Oxy-orthpentactines and
Oxy-orthohexactines A.
Keywords siliceous sponge spicules - Permian-Triassic extinction - pattern - process - South China
Supported by NSFC Innovation Research Group Program (Grant No. 40621002), MOE Innovation Research Team Program (Grant No.
IRT0546), and the SINOPEC Project (Grant No. G0800-06-ZS-319)