Mary Elizabeth Cerruti Bernardes-de-Oliveira

Welwitschiaceae from the Lower Cretaceous of northeastern Brazil

Welwitschiaceae, a family in the Gnetales, is known today from only one extant species, Welwitschia mirabilis. This species is distributed in the Namibian desert, along the western coast of southern Africa, about 10 km inland from the coast. Very little is known about the fossil record of this family. Lower Cretaceous megafossils of various organs, assigned to Welwitschiaceae, are presented here. These fossils include young stems with paired cotyledons attached (Welwitschiella austroamericana n. gen. et sp.), isolated leaves (Welwitschiophyllum brasiliense n. gen. et sp.), and axes bearing male cones (Welwitschiostrobus murili n. gen. et sp.). They were collected in the Crato Formation, which is dated by palynomorphs and ostracods as Late Aptian (114 to 112 million years ago). These sediments are exposed in the Araripe Basin of northeastern Brazil. This study brings together new information of the megafossil record of Welwitschia-like plants and also reports of pollen said to be similar to that of Welwitschia from Lower Cretaceous sediments.

Endressinia brasiliana, a Magnolialean Angiosperm from the Lower Cretaceous Crato Formation (Brazil)

A fossil angiosperm from the Brazilian Crato Formation, Endressinia brasiliana n. gen. n. sp., is described. The fossil consists of a branching axis with attached simple, narrowly ovate leaves and several terminal small flowers. One of these multiparted flowering structures is well preserved and seems close to anthesis. Tepals, staminodes, and apocarpous follicles show cellular details, such as ethereal cells. Broad staminodes bear lateral knobs that are interpreted as glands. The gynoecium consists of ca. 20 free apocarpous carpels. Among recent Magnoliales, several families share with Endressinia the floral feature of having staminodes. Only Himantandraceae and Eupomatiaceae share the character of having staminodes with glands, which are broad in Eupomatia. Thus, Endressinia might be sister to Eupomatiaceae; however, it also might represent an extinct lineage with convergent staminode morphology.

Record of the genus Lycopodites in the Lower Permian of Paraná Basin, Brazil

The genus Lycopodites, which encompasses the herbaceous forms of the lycopsids, presents broad time and spacial distribution during the Paleozoic in the Northern Hemisphere, with its initial records dating from the European Devonian. As to Gondwanan Paleozoic, to this moment, only Lycopodites amazonica Dolianiti had been reported for the Amazonian Middle Devonian (Curuá Group). Thus, the specimens reported in this study such as Lycopodites sp., coming from sedimentary rocks of the Itararé Subgroup, São Paulo State, and Lycopodites riograndensis sp. nov., collected in Rio Bonito Formation, Rio Grande do Sul, represent the oldest fertile forms recorded for Gondwana and the first ones to be described for the Paraná Basin. Its presence in layers, deposited after the end of the Neopaleozoic Glaciation, shows the appearance of new taxa in high latitudes, as well as the diversity of the lycopsids present in the Basin, previously indicated through the abundance of spores associated to the Class Lycopsida present in the palinomorphous assemblages.

Itaquaquecetuba Formation, São Paulo basin, Brazil: new angiosperm components of Paleogene Taphoflora

Among the various geological formations found in the State of Sao Paulo, the Itaquaquecetuba Formation, located in the Sao Paulo sedimentary basin, is one of the richest in Cenozoic plant fossils, allowing a detailed study of the flora which existed in that region, from the Paleogene to the Early Neogene. The plants identified in this formation, in general, belong to the families Melastomataceae and Fabaceae of the angiosperms group. In this study, one foliar impression of Leandra (Melastomataceae), being this the first fossil record of the genus, and one of Bauhinia (Fabaceae) were identified. These foliar fragments allowed us to observe in detail the leaf architecture and then to carry out the generic assignment. The form assigned to the genus Leandra resembles more the current species L. acutiflora and that assigned to the genus Bauhinia suggests affinity with B. divaricata. However, the ancient registration and the lack of an accuracy of the diagnostic characteristics lead us to use Leandra sp. and Bauhinia aff. B. divaricata designations. Some aspects of the paleogeography of both genera are discussed.

An Early Permian Glossopteris flora from the Umrer Coalfield, Wardha Basin, Maharashtra, India

Tewari, R., Pandita, S.K., Agnihotri, D., Pillai, S.S.K. & Bernardes-De-Oliveira, M.E.C., September 2012. An Early Permian Glossopteris flora from the Umrer Coalfield, Wardha Basin, Maharashtra, India. Alcheringa 36, 359–376. ISSN 0311-5518. A rich and well-preserved Glossopteris-dominated plant fossil assemblage is described from the Barakar Formation of the Makardhokra and Umrer open-cast projects, Umrer Coalfield, Nagpur District, Wardha Basin, Maharashtra, India. The assemblage includes equisetalean axes, cordaitalean leaves (Noeggerathiopsis hislopii), Gangamopteris clarkeana and diverse Glossopteris leaves and a fertile organ assigned to Scutum sp. cf. S. leslii. The flora, although similar to that of the Barakar Formation of the Damodar Basin complex (the reference basin system with respect to the qualitative and quantitative distribution of Indian Permian plant taxa), exhibits unique characteristics and is Artinskian to Kungurian in age. Besides supplementing knowledge of the broader Wardha Basin flora, this is the first systematic documentation of the Glossopteris flora from the Barakar Formation of this basin.

Cenozoic distribution of Ephedripites Bolkhovitina (1953) ex Potonié (1958) emend. Krutzsch (1961) in Brazil

Abstract Here we present a critical revision of the occurrence of Ephedripites pollen grains during the Cenozoic of Brazil along with a new interpretation of the palaeo-biogeographical implications regarding the distribution of E. eocenipites, E. fusiformis, E. lusaticus and E. claricristatus (=E. tertiarius) in continental and marine sediments. Morphological features of these taxa, in general terms, differ from those of Cretaceous forms by the reduced number of plicae and thinner ribs. The revision of the Brazilian literature of Ephedripites point to a Paleocene distribution restricted to 30° S palaeo-latitude, whereas from the Eocene to the Pliocene, this genus is found in higher palaeo-latitudes of south-eastern and southern Brazil, attesting its occurrence in vegetation on dry or well drained soils.

Tafoflora paleógena da formação entre-córregos (Bacia de Aiuruoca): arquitetura foliar e paleoclima

The present study aims to analyze the leaf architecture of the Entre-Corregos Formation plant fossils, from the municipality of Aiuruoca, State of Minas Gerais. Based on these foliar architectural features and their meanings as climatic adaptation, the work shows that during the Middle Paleogene (Late Eocene-Early Oligocene), this region had high temperatures and wet weather, and was included into a tropical everwet biome going on to a subtropical summerwet.

o GÊNERO PARACALAMITES ZALESSKY 1927, NA TAFOFLORA DE ITAPEVA, CARBONÍFERO SUPERIOR DO SUBGRUPO ITARARÉ, GRUPO TUBARÃO, SUDOESTE DO ESTADO SÃO PAULO, BRASIL

The Itapeva (SP) taphoflora is part of Taphoflora A of the Upper Paleozoic Succession of the Parana Basin. It is a Late Carboniferous Gondwanan Pre-Glossopterid Flora, composed of: sphenopsids, pteridophylles (or progymnospermopsids) and gymnospermopsids. In this taphoflora the morphogenus Paracalamites is represented by three species: P. australis Rigby; P. levis Rigby and P. montemorensis Millan. It is proposed to emend. the diagnoses of these species based on the present materiaIs and on a revision of specimens in the National Museum of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

A palynostratigraphic study of the Umrer Coalfield of Wardha Basin, Maharashtra State, Central India and its putative correlation with Indian and other Gondwanan areas

The present work details the results of the palynological studies carried out in the Umrer Coalfield of Wardha Basin of Maharashtra State, Central India. The coalfield covers an area of 4 sq. km and is characterized by three coal seams designated as bottom, middle and top seams with partings. Statistical analysis of the palynomorphs from these sediments have revealed the dominance of radial monosaccate pollen grains of the genus Parasaccites and subdominance of non-striate bisaccate genus Scheuringipollenites in association with other typical early Permian taxa viz. Crucisaccites, Callumispora, Caheniasaccites, Brevitriletes, Tiwariasporis and Primuspollenites. This association characterizes the palynoflora of the upper Karharbari Formation of India on the basis of which the Umrer Coalfield has been assigned an early Permian late Sakmarian to early Artinskian age. It is further authenticated by the presence of the species Crucisaccites monoletus significant of the Karharbari Formation. Age deductions have also been made by correlations with similar assemblages from different basins in India and early Permian palynoflora from other Gondwanan continents some of which have been associated with radiometrically dated sediments.

Coníferas pensilvanianas da tafoflora interglacial de Monte Mor, Grupo Itararé, São Paulo, Brasil: as mais antigas da Bacia do Paraná

The pre-glossopterid macroflora from the Volpe Ranch, in Monte Mor (State of São Paulo), was deposited during an interglacial context of the Itararé Group. It is characterized by the Paranocladus-Ginkgophyllum-Brasilodendron Association and is included in the middle-basal part of the Itararé Group outcrop, in the NE of the Paraná Basin. It is similar to the Argentine macrofloristic association Krauselcladus-Asterotheca Phytozone (ex-Interval Zone) and its palynofloristic contents belong to the Crucisaccites monoletus Palynozone (Kasimovian to Gzhelian). The conifers in this assemblage are represented by macro and microfossils and record the first level of occurrence of conifers in the basin. They are documented by leafy branches impressions and compressions of Paranocladus dusenii Florin and Buriadia heterophylla (Feistmantel) Seward and Sahni emend. Singh, and platyspermic seeds of the genus Paranospermum. Cuticular studies allowed to correlate the presence of Paranocladus dusenii with the platyspermic seeds Paranospermum cambuiense Ricardi-Branco and to identify a new species of Paranospermum as well. Previous palynological studies in this level led to the recognition of some pollen grains affinis to the gymnosperms (conifers, ginkgoaleans and pteridospermales) comprising monosaccate and bisaccate forms allocated to the genera Cannanoropollis, Plicatipollenites, Potonieisporites and Caheniasaccites indicating certain diversity of conifers as early as in Pennsylvanian. The association of conifers and Ginkgophyllum represents a mesoxerophytic tree community. The abundance of their fragmented material in the taphofloral assemblage suggests allochthonous origin transported toward a deltaic plain which were associated to a parautochthonous origin material. Their fossiliferous sandy matrix overlying the coal also suggests a higher energy agent of transport.