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Language Spanish journal of palaeontology. 2016. Vol. 31, no. 1
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- Wagneropteris minima, a new medullosalean pteridosperm from the middle Westphalian (Middle Plennsylvanian) of the Peñarroya-Belmez-Espiel Coalfield (Córdoba province, SW Spain)(2020) Álvarez-Vázquez, Carmen; Cleal, Christopher JA new taxon, Wagneropteris minima gen. and sp. Nov., is described from lower Balsovian strata of the Peñarroya-Belmez-Espiel Coalfield (Córdoba province, SW Spain). Most important for a generic diagnosis is the presence of small pinnae on the antepenultimate rachis and intercalated pinnules on the penultimate rachis and imparipinnate last order pinnae. It probably has affinities with the Callipteridium-complex of medullosalean fronds, belonging to the fossil-family Cyclopteridaceae
- A new late Carboniferous calamitacean sphenophyte from South Wales, United Kingdom(2020) Cleal, Cristopher J; Shute, Cedric HA new calamitacean sphenotype is described from the middle Westphalian coal-bearing strata of South Wales; Asterophyllites tayloriorum sp. nov. (leafy shoots) and Palaeostachya wagneri sp. nov. (cone-bearing shoots). Both the leafy shoots and cones are characterised by relatively small leaves/bracts in whorls of four. Although the leafy and cone-bearing shoots occur in close association, and were almost certainly parts of the same parent plant species, the case is made for assigning them to separate fossil-taxa
- A Middle Pennsylvanian (early Asturian) tropical dry forest, Atokan-Desmoinesian boundary, Illinois Basin, USA(2020) Dimichele, William A; Bashforth, Arden R; Eble, Cortland F; Nelson, W JohnSix late Atokan (early Asturian) floras from seasonally dry environments are described and quantitatively analysed from adpressions and palynomorphs. Collections are from the eastern margin of the Illinois Basin, USA, in an 80 km N-S transect. Plant fossils occur in sedimentary rocks below the underclay (paleosol) of the Minshall-Buffaloville Coal Member (thus, not “roof-shale” assemblages), uppermost Brazil Formation. Growth of floras under season dryness is indicated by outcrop and lithological features that suggest deposition in flashy discharge streams, including intraformational conglomerates, plant fossils that cross bedding planes indicating rapid, episodic burial, and local rhythmically laminated sediments. Common charcoal clasts are consistent with seasonal climate. Cordaitalean foliage dominates the macroflora, accompanied by the dryland elements Lesleya sp., Taeniopteris sp. cf. T. multinervia, and Sphenopteridium sp. Two unusual forms of foliage are presumed to be rare or novel dryland species. Small numbers of wetland/periwetland taxa include calamitaleans, Linopteris neuropteroides, Karinopteris/Eusphenopteris sp., marattialean fern foliage, Senftenbergia plumosa, cf. Zeilleria avoldensis and Sphenopteris sp. The palynoflora is dominated by marattialean tree ferns, wetland plants with broad dispersal capacities and environmental tolerances. Subdominant elements also have strong wetland affinities. Palynoflora-macroflora mismatches may reflect primary ecology, palynomorph reworking, or both. The occurrence of these floras near the Atokan-Desmoinesian (~ Bolsovian-Asturian) boundary coincides with an array of physical and geochemical data that indicate change from weak rainfall seasonality to marked seasonality at all phases of glacial-interglacial cycles, reflected prominently in the stratigraphic record from the localities studied.
- Palynoflora from the Permian Stores Formation (Picos de Europa, Asturias, Northern Spain)(2020) Juncal, Manuel; Diez, Bienvenido; Broutin, Jean; Martínez-García, EnriqueA new spore and pollen assemblage has been discovered in the Stores Formation (Picos de Europa, Asturias, North of Spain). The palynoflora includes: Alisporites splendens, Fimbriaesporites fimbratus, Gardenasporites heisseli, Hamiapollenites bullaeformis, Lueckisporites virkkiae, Potonieisporites novicus, Protohaploxypinus microcorpus, Vittania costabilis, Vittalina saccata, Striatopodocarpidites cf. cancellatus, Alisporites sp. Endosporites sp, Platysaccus sp., Punctatisporites sp., Verrucosisporites sp. and unidentified pollen grains and microspores. A Kungurian age is suggested for the fossil site, which has implications for the understanding of the Late Variscan evolution of the Iberian Peninsula
- An emended and amplified description of Pecopteris apicalis Knight, a fern morphospecies of mid-Stephanian age from NW Spain(2020) Knight, John A; Sardina, Luis JExtensive adpression material of the fern morphospecies Pectopteris apicalis Knight has been collected from overburden from opencast mining in the Paragido-Vallejo area oh the Barruelo Coalfield, close to the collection site of the holotype of the species. This has permitted a more detailed description of the key characteristics than was previously possible and an emended diagnosis. The large frond fragments demonstrate large pinnae of antepenultimate order, length in excess of 0.4 m, with apparent attachment to a very robust petiole in a tripinnate frond structure. Other diagnostic features of the species confirmed in this wide range of material cover the dimensions, acuminate shape, and terminal of last order pinnae, the range of dimensions and shape of pinnules and the characteristic consistently bifurcate venation. Fertile organs have been identified only on one specimen collected from another opencast working in the Barruelo Coalfield, at a lower level in the same stratigraphic unit. Although indistinct, the fertile organs comprise two rows of small circular sori on either side of the mid-vein, reminiscent of the genus Asterotheca, although the material does not permit reliable identification. Discussion of the possible systematic relationship of this species suggests the closet affiliation is with the cyatheoid group of pecopterid marattialean species. The Peragido-Vallejo material occurs within a low diversity flora which has undergone minimal transport from its site of growth, interpreted as in an interdistributary back-swamp area on a near-coastal alluvial plain
- Isogramma Meek & Worthe, 1870 (Dictyonellida, Brachiopoda) from the Pennsylvanian of the Cantabrian Mountains (N Spain)(2020) Martínez Chacón, M Luisa; Winkler Prins, Cor FIsogramma is one of the strangest and easiest to recognize brachiopod genera. Its shells is very transverse, flattened, oval, ornamented with strong concentric ridges which cover the whole exterior of both valves, apart from a smooth triangular depressed area, extending from the beak of the ventral valve forward to beyond the umbo, the colleplax. The sell is strongly punctate which gives it a spongy structure. In this paper, the morphology and shell structure of the genus are discussed, and the species from the Catabrian Mountains assigned to the genus are revised. The species Isogramlma davidsoni, the only one thus far described for the region, is discussed and three new species are described for the Pennsylvanian of Asturian and León: Isogramma wagneri, I. casina and I. demuesensis
- First evidence of rooting lycopsids preserved as imprints and trace fossils from the Silves Sandstone (Upper Triassic, eastern Algarve, South Portugal)(2020) Mayoral, Eduardo J; Santos, Ana; Diez, BienvenidoRooting lycopsids, preserved as imprints on the Upper Triassic Silves Sandstone in the Eastern Algarve region (South Portugal), are recorded for the first time in this area. The Silves Sandstone is composed of the characteristic dark red sandstone and conglomerates of this formation and contains all the studied imprints. These have a quadrate or pseudohexagonal outline corresponding to the departure of roots placed in four to six roughly symmetrical points around the stem bases. Two generations of plants are observed, including the imprints of seedings. Palaeoenvironmental conditions for the lower unit have been interpreted as a shallow lagoon or stationary bodies of water in a swap-like environment subjected to sporadic current activity. This would have uprooted stems and ripped off the leaves. The upper unit would correspond to a fluvial environment with the establishment of an inundated floodplain with periodic subaerial exposure; this is where root imprints, shallow vertebrate (Rhynchosauroides isp.) and invertebrate trace fossils (Cochlichnus anguineus, Vagorinchus cf. anyao, Palaeophycus tubularis, Taenidium isp., Scoicia isp.), tetrapod footprints and raindrop imprints were recorded. Lycopsids maw have colonized these marshy areas in between wet (occasional flash floods) and drier episodes. Uprooting of the stems was probably caused by sudden and strong mass flow produced during intervals of heavy rain
- Floras of clastic and peat-forming Pennsylvanian wetlands: are they different? A case study from the Upper Radnice Coal (late Duckmantian), Kladno Coalfield, Czech Republic(2020) Opluštil, Stanislav; Pšenička, Josef; Šimůnek, Zbyněk; Linertín, MilanFloras of two ecologically and taphonomically different fossiliferous horizons associated with the late Duckmantian Upper Radnice Coal in the Kladno Coalfield are compared. Observations made in coal mines suggest that the Velká opuka bears autochthonous in situ preserved peat-forming vegetation, whereas the Mydlák ins a lacustrine sediment that contains mostly drifted allochthonous and locally parautochthonous plant associations derived from coastal mostly clastic wetlands. Material from museum collections and our own field data show that floras of both fossiliferous horizons consist of representatives of the same families and genera but differ in their proportions and to a large part in species compositions. This is demonstrated by only 40 % overlap of 89 plant species identified in both horizons. Flora of the Velká opuka is dominated by lycopsids, either by arborescent lepidodendrids or by the sub-arborescent genus Omphalophloios. Co-dominant are sphenopsids and locally common are ferns and cordaitaleans. The Mydlák flora is more diverse and dominates by pteridosperms, whereas the proportion of lycopsids is lower and their composition partly different. Taxa abundant in the Velká opuka and nearly absent in the Mydlák include Omphalophloios feistmantelii, Lepidodendron longifolium and L. ophiurus. Abundant in the Mydlák and mostly missing in the Velká opuka are Laveineopteris tenuifolia, L. bohemica, Sphenopteris spiniformis, Eusphenopteris nummularia, Lepidodendron aculeatum and L. mannebachense. Prevalence of pteridosperms in clastic wetland floras of the Mydlák is in agreement with existing observations
- Inventory and analysis of the distribution of Viséan corals from the Guadiato Area (Córdoba, SW Spain)(2020) Rodríguez, Sergio; Somerville, Ian D; Cózar, Pedro; Coronado, Ismael; Said, IsmaelThe coral content of the Viséan rocks from the Guadiato Area (SW Spain) have been studied during the last 25 year. Part of the coral assemblages have been previously described, but never as whole. The 69 recorded coral species belonging to Rugosa, Tabulata and Heterocorallia are illustrated. The family Antiphyllidae is represented by two genera and three species; the family Laccophyllidae, Plerophyllidae and Polycoeliidae is represented by one species; the family Cyathaxoniidae is represented by one genus and two species; the family Amplexidae is represented by one species; the family Zaphrenotididae is represented by one species; the family Cyathopsidae is represented by four genera and five species; the family Bothrophyllidae is represented by one species; the family Aulophyllidae is represented by nine genera and ten species; the family Palaeosmiliidae is represented by four genera and four species; the family Lithostrotionidae is represented by five genera and sixteen species; the family Axophyllidae is represented by three genera and thirteen species; the family Geyerophyllidae is represented by one species; the family Heterophyllidae is represented by two genera and two species; the family Syringoporidae is represented by one species; the family Multithecoporidae is represented by one genus and three species; the family Syringolitidae is represented by one species; the family Pyrgiidae is represented by one species. The degree of abundance and diversity is regarded as moderate and the degree of endemism is low. The significance of the coral assemblages for biostratigraphy, palaeobiogeography and environmental palaeontology is analysed
- On some bythocytherid (Ostracoda) from the Viséan of Triollo (N Palencia, Cantabrian Mountains, Spain)(2020) Sánchez de Posada, Luis C; Blanco-Ferrera, Silvia; Sanz-López, JavierViséan rocks are widespread in the Cantabrian Mountains, but despite the abundance of some fossil groups (particularly conodonts and cephalopods) in these strata, very few ostracods have been reported. Rich silicified ostracods faunas have been found in the Viséan of the Triollo area (north Palencia, Cantabrian Mountains, Spain). Among numerous elements, some belong to the family Bythocytheridae, a conspicuous element of the Thuringian Paleozoic Mega-Assemblage. Three species of the bythocytherid genus Paraberounella are described in this paper. One of them, Paraberounella? wagneri n. sp., is assigned to the genus with some reservations
- The systematic and palaeoecological significance of Neuropteris ovata (Medullosales) cuticles from the Stephanian Stage of the Puertollano Basin, Spain(2020) Šimůnek, Zbyněk; Cleal, Christopher JCuticles from Neuropteris ovata foliage (Medullosales) from Stephanian strata in the Puertollano Basin show epidermal structures similar to those seen in Kasimovian coal balls from North America. They are assigned to a new taxonomic variety, Neuropteris ovata var. puertollanensis
- First record to the Carboniferous fusuline genus Parawedekindellina in a Palaeotethyan area (Cantabrian Zone, NW Spain)(2020) Villa, Elisa; Remizova, Svetlana TA fusuline species of the genus Parawedekindellina Safonova has been found in the Fito Formation of the Carboniferous of the Cantabrian Zone (NW Spain). Representatives of this genus had only previously been recorded from the Arctic and the Ural palaeobiogeographic provinces, and therefore the new species from Spain in the first record of the genus from the Palaeotethyan province. This finding is interpreted as evidence of temporary connections between the Ural and the Palaeotethys provinces
