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The extinct tree fern Tempskya Corda from the Albian of Spain: palaeophytogeographical and palaeoenvironmental implications

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 October 2018

Luis M. Sender*
Affiliation:
Área de Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50002 Zaragoza, Spain. Email: [email protected] Faculty of Science and Engineering, Chuo University, 1-13-27 Kasuga, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Harufumi Nishida
Affiliation:
Faculty of Science and Engineering, Chuo University, 1-13-27 Kasuga, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. Graduate School of The University of Tokyo, Hongo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan.
José B. Diez
Affiliation:
Departamento de Xeociencias Mariñas e Ordenación do Territorio, Facultade de Ciencias do Mar, Universidade de Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain.
*
*Corresponding author

Abstract

New evidence of the extinct tree fern of the genus Tempskya Corda from Albian deposits in western Eurasia (northeastern Spain) is presented. These plant fossil remains consist of several silicified false trunks measuring up to 1.20m long, some of which still preserve the apex. Rhizomes and petioles are more abundant in the apical zone of the false trunk. Some false trunks preserve charcoalified tissues that can be interpreted as evidence that palaeo-wildfires affected the false trunks several times from mostly the same direction. Sedimentological evidence suggests that the fern habitat was close to coastal, tidally influenced environments. These new fossils from the Albian of Spain fill the chronological and distributional gap of Tempskya that existed in Eurasia during the Early Cretaceous. Temporal and spatial changes in Tempskya distributions are proposed on several palaeogeographical maps.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal Society of Edinburgh 2018 

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