Leptomitus

{{Short description|Genus of sponges}}

{{About|the sponge|the protist|Leptomitus (protist)}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| fossil_range = {{Geological range|Middle Cambrian}}{{Cite journal| pages = 737–748| year = 2007| doi = 10.1016/j.geobios.2007.02.006| first1 = J.| volume = 40| title = 'Cambrian' demosponges in the Ordovician of Morocco: Insights into the early evolutionary history of sponges| journal = Geobios| last1 = Botting| issue = 6 | bibcode = 2007Geobi..40..737B}}

| image = Leptomitus IVPP.jpg

| image_caption = Fossil specimen (IVPP I0251) of L. teretiusculus, Paleozoological Museum of China

| taxon = Leptomitus

| authority = Walcott, 1886{{Cambrian contribution 2}}

| type_species = Leptomitus zitteli

| type_species_authority = Walcott, 1886

| subdivision = {{Species list

| L. conicus | García-Bellido et al., 2007

| L. lineatus | (Walcott, 1920) Rigby & Collins, 2004

| L. metta | Rigby, 1983

| L. teretiusculus | Chen, Hou & Lu, 1989

| L. undulatus | Rigby & Collins, 2004

| L. zitteli | Walcott, 1886

}}

| synonyms = †Tuponia Walcott, 1920{{cite journal | last1 = Walcott | first1 = C. D. | year = 1920 | title = Cambrian geology and paleontology IV:6—Middle Cambrian Spongiae | url = https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/29838882 | journal = Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections | volume = 67 | pages = 261–364 }}

}}

Leptomitus is a genus of demosponge known from the Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale.{{Cite journal | last1 = García-Bellido | first1 = D. C. | last2 = Gozalo | first2 = R. | last3 = Chirivella Martorell | first3 = J. B. | last4 = Liñán | first4 = E. | title = The Demosponge Genus Leptomitus and a New Species From the Middle Cambrian of Spain | journal = Palaeontology | volume = 50 | issue = 2 | pages = 467 | year = 2007 | doi = 10.1111/j.1475-4983.2007.00635.x| bibcode = 2007Palgy..50..467G | url = https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227642648| doi-access = free }} Its name is derived from the Greek lept ("slender") and mitos ("thread"), referring to the overall shape of the sponge. 138 specimens of Leptomitus are known from the Greater Phyllopod bed, where they comprise 0.26% of the community.{{cite journal|last1=Caron |first1=Jean-Bernard|last2=Jackson |first2=Donald A.|title=Taphonomy of the Greater Phyllopod Bed community, Burgess Shale|journal=PALAIOS |volume=21 |issue=5 |pages=451–65|date=October 2006|doi=10.2110/palo.2003.P05-070R|jstor=20173022|bibcode=2006Palai..21..451C |s2cid=53646959 }}