Abstract
A Lower Carboniferous flora from the Del Ratón Formation, exposed near Calingasta, San Juan province of Argentina, is described and illustrated and its biostratigraphic significance is evaluated. The megafossils include Lepidodendropsis eximius (Frenguelli) Sessarego et Césari, Archaeosigillaria conferta (Frenguelli) Menéndez, Diplothmema bodenbenderi (Kurtz) Césari, Eusphenopteris devonica (Frenguelli) nov. comb., “ Hyenia” argentina, “ Rhodea” sp. and Telangiopsis sp. The associated microflora, described for the first time, includes Verrucosisporites congestus Playford, Anapiculatisporites amplus Playford et Powis, Dictyotriletes submarginatus Playford, cf. Densosporites spinosus Dybová et Jachowicz, Retusotriletes avonensis Playford, Dibolisporites cf. D. distinctus (Clayton) Playford and Grandispora debilis Playford. The megafossil species are referable to the Archaeosigillaria Lepidodendropsis biozone, which combines the Archaeosigillaria Zone and Lepidodendropsis Flora of Archangelsky and Azcuy (1985) and Archangelsky et al. (1986). The plant megafossils and associated microflora suggest a Visean age for this biozone. The presence of an associated marine fauna in the stratigraphically equivalent Malimán Formation, having Protocanites scalabrinii Antelo, corroborates a Lower Carboniferous age for our biozone. By comparison with others in the world this is the oldest Carboniferous taphoflora in Argentina and probably in the whole of South America. The evolutionary significance of the Lepidodendrossis flora is analysed.
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