Abstract
Most remains of Carboniferous lyginopteridalean seed-plant fronds used to be classified in a single fossil-genus (Sphenopteris) based mainly on pinnule morphology. By incorporating additional characters linked to frond architecture and rachial features a more natural taxonomy has now been achieved. Eight fossil-genera of lyginopteridalean fronds are now recognised (Sphenopteris, Calymmotheca, Eusphenopteris, Karinopteris, Mariopteris, Palmatopteris, Spathulopteris, Sphenopteridium) for which the diagnostic descriptions, nomenclatural types and stratigraphical/chronological distribution are clarified. This provides a more natural and therefore robust means of recording these fossils, which will help improve studies on past plant diversity and floristics. A by-product of this revision is that some fossil-species of fern fronds previously placed in Sphenopteris will need to be reclassified into fossil-genera that are defined on reproductive structures.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 862-879 |
| Number of pages | 18 |
| Journal | Taxon |
| Volume | 72 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Early online date | 29 May 2023 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 11 Aug 2023 |
Keywords
- adpressions
- ferns
- fronds
- palaeobotany
- pteridosperms