Abstract
A new morphospecies of Cynometroxylon is described from the early Miocene deposits of the Gebel El-Khashab Formation exposed along the Cairo-Bahariya desert road in the north Western Desert of Egypt. It is compared with the 13 currently recognized fossil wood species of Cynometroxylon/Cynometra recorded worldwide. The characteristics of this fossil wood align with those typical of the non-seasonal tropical climate during the Miocene period, indicating its habitat at that time. This habitat is consistent with that of some living species of its analogue Cynometra. Upon reviewing the worldwide biogeography of the genus, its extensive distribution in Africa and Asia was observed. Furthermore, the biogeography of the subfamily Detarioideae was compiled, tracing its evolutionary history back to Africa. This confirms the possibility that family Fabaceae likely originated in Africa during the Late Cretaceous to early Paleogene, with subsequent dispersal into Asia and South America. The present record is indicative of a subtropical to warm tropical climate which prevailed in the Miocene of Egypt.
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