Alienopteris livingstonensis gen. et sp. nov., enigmatic petrified tree fern stem (Cyatheales) from the Aptian Cerro Negro Formation, Antarctica

A new genus and species of Mesozoic fern, Alienopteris livingstonensis gen. et sp. nov., is defined, based on permineralized stems recovered from the Aptian Cerro Negro Formation (Antarctica). This new taxon is characterized by the presence of Y-shaped meristeles in the stem, surrounding an heteroge...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: Vera, Ezequiel Ignacio
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2009
País:Argentina
Institución:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Repositorio:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/102679
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/11336/102679
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Antarctica
Aptian
Tree ferns
Cyatheaceae
Cerro Negro Formation
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.5
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
Descripción
Sumario:A new genus and species of Mesozoic fern, Alienopteris livingstonensis gen. et sp. nov., is defined, based on permineralized stems recovered from the Aptian Cerro Negro Formation (Antarctica). This new taxon is characterized by the presence of Y-shaped meristeles in the stem, surrounding an heterogeneous pith, and the presence of complex petiole bases, consisting in abaxial and adaxial archs, similar to the ones present in the Cyatheaceae s.l.. Since no living nor fossil filicalean fern possesses such mixture of features, and taking into account that no leaves and reproductive structures were found, phylogenetic relationships are not clear. Two independent cladistic analysis show clear placement of Alienopteris livingstonensis among the ‘‘core tree ferns.’’