Abstract:

A large number of Calathium specimens were collected from west Hubei. They are characterized by: 1. The organism is in the shapes of inverted cone, born or cup with the opensides upward and the closed tips anchored on the sea bed; 2. Porous double-wall and ring-likeintervallum of the organism constitutes a water circulatory system similar to that of Archaeocyathids and sponge; 3. The organism has no axis but has a broad central cavity which actsprobably as a cloacal 4. Most specimens possess foot-like or tumour-like outgrowth structures with anchoring,twining or balanching function. All these features indicate that the organism should be a kind of lower class animal of filter feeder with certain affinity to Archaeocyathids but should not be classified into algae.