Cupressaceae Conifers from the Early Cretaceous of Mongolia

Abstract

Premise of research. The two living species of Cunninghamia form a clade that is sister to the rest of the Cupressaceae sensu lato, within which the monotypic extant genus Taiwania is sister to all Cupressaceae except Cunninghamia. Seed cones of both Cunninghamia and Taiwania bear helically arranged bract-scale complexes, but a free ovuliferous scale is present only in Cunninghamia. Here, we describe two new genera of fossil seed cones similar to those of Cunninghamia and Taiwania.Methodology. Early Cretaceous (Aptian-Albian) bulk lignite samples collected from the Tevshiin Govi locality were disaggregated in water, cleaned with hydrochloric and hydrofluoric acids, washed, and dried in air.Pivotal results. Pentakonos gen. nov. has seed cones that are up to 7 mm long with ca. 25–30 helically arranged, papery bract-scale complexes that have minute teeth. Adaxially, the free tip of the membranous ovuliferous scale is denticulate, and the scale bears five small, thin-winged seeds. Pentakonos adds to the diver...