Fossil and Recent Sponges contains articles on taxonomic, phylogenetic and ecological aspects of sponges of both biological and paleontological interest. They focus on three main topics: phylogeny and systematics, biology, and paleoecology of sponges. The reader is offered an overview over the most important aspects of current sponge research: - establishment of a new taxonomy based on mono phyletic groups (phylogenetic systematics) including recent and fossil taxa - new concepts of the biomineralisation of sponge skeletons - palaeoenvironmental analysis of fossil sponge buildups.

1919/28 cumulation includes material previously issued in the 1919/20-1935/36 issues and also material not published separately for 1927/28. 1929/39 cumulation includes material previously issued in the 1929/30-1935/36 issues and also material for 1937-39 not published separately.

During the period the sponges described herein were which were used only sporadically in the past and were collected (1963-7), the author was a Research Associate regarded as of marginal value until two decades ago, at the Department of Geology, University of Illinois, paleontology and embryology, are now receiving great participating in a research project on carbonate attention. They have already brought drastic revisions to sediments of the Bimini area, directed by Prof. William systematics, with regard to redefinition and classification W. Hay (Department of Geology, University of Illinois. of higher taxa. Other approaches have recently emerged utilizing biochemistry, histology, cytology, autecology, now at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric and zoogeography, and these promise significant ad Science, University of Miami) and supported by the National Science Foundation. The objective of this pro vance in the delimitation and classification oflower taxa. ject was a study of the relationship between the carbo The rapidly changing state of sponge taxonomy is reflect nate sediments of the Bimini area and the benthonic ed in the paucity of definitive (i. e. widely accepted) revisions of genera and families. The lack of stability and fauna and flora, especially with regard to skeletal ele ments contributed to the sediment.