Abstract Detail

Mesozoic and Cenozoic plant evolution and biotic change: A symposium in honor of Ruth Stockey

Escapa, Ignacio Hernan [1], Gandolfo, Maria A. [2], Nixon, Kevin [3], Crepet, William Louis [4].

New Cupressaceae sensu lato from the Cretaceous of Raritan Formation (New Jersey, USA): morphology and anatomy of conifer mesofossils in the digital era.

The highly diverse flora of the Turonian Raritan Formation is known mostly from it extremely well preserved angiosperm remains that have been the objects of numerous studies during the last two decades. Of special interest is the paleoflora of the Old Crossman Clay Pit locality that includes, not only angiosperms, but also mosses, ferns, and gymnosperms. Gymnosperms at this locality have been known since the beginning of the 20th century, nevertheless they have been poorly studied. So far only two species of pinaceous leaves and a pollen cone has been described in detail on the bases of charcoalified specimens. In this contribution we describe two new species assignable to the basal lineages of the family Cupressaceae. One species comprises isolated ovuliferous complexes bearing three winged seeds showing taxonomic affinities to the subfamily Athrotaxoideae while the second species is represented by a seed cone characterized by its spherical shape, ovuliferous complexes with distinctive broad bracts and distally lobed ovuliferous scales, and it is probably related to the subfamily Taxodiodeae. Isolated vegetative remains closely related to these lineages represent an additional source of information for confirming the presence of the family within the paleoflora. The specimens were studied using Micro-CT and SEM, which allowed detailed descriptions of anatomical and morphological characters previously unknown for this Cretaceous assemblage. This contribution represents a first step in order to better characterize the gymnosperm diversity of the Raritan Formation, that it is critical for understanding the overall evolution of conifers.

1 - MEF-CONICET, Fontana 140, Trelew Chubut, N/A, 9100, Argentina
2 - Cornell University, L. H. Bailey Hortorium, 410 Mann Library Building, Ithaca, NY, 14853-4301, USA
3 - Cornell University, L. H. Bailey Hortorium, 408 Mann Library, Ithaca, NY, 14853-4301, USA
4 - Cornell University, Department Of Plant Biology, 413 Mann Library, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA

Keywords:
Cretaceous
New Jersey
Conifers
Cupressaceae
paleobotany
Micro-CT.

Presentation Type: Colloquium Presentations
Session: C6
Location: Salon 5/The Shaw Conference Centre
Date: Wednesday, July 29th, 2015
Time: 4:45 PM
Number: C6013
Abstract ID:828
Candidate for Awards:None