Flabellophyton: The Benthic Macroalgal Fossils in Marwar Supergroup, India

Abstract

ABSTRACT Here we report numerous fossil forms of the Ediacaran Flabellophyton genus in the Sonia Sandstone of the Jodhpur Group, Marwar Supergroup, in India. They are assigned as Flabellophyton lantianense, Flabellophyton stupendum, and Flabellophyton typicum species and have been found to have both positive and negative reliefs on the bedding planes of medium- to fine-grained sandstone in the Sursagar region of Jodhpur district. The thallus of Flabellophyton lantianensis occurs in straight to slightly curved and slender forms, is closely packed, and may have thin filaments. The Flabellophyton stupendum is a conical or fan-shaped thallus containing thin bundled filaments and has a discoidal holdfast with a well-differentiated stipe. The Flabellophyton typicum species typically has a thallus with an intermediate conical shape, a globular holdfast with an acute stipe, and a fan-shaped form with bundles of thin filaments. These studied Flabellophyton fossil assemblages are well comparable to those found in South China and South Australia in their conical or fan-shaped morphologies and holdfast structures (mostly found in F. stupendum and F. typicum species) with fine and thin bundled filaments. In accordance with this study, these Flabellophyton fossil assemblages are probably benthic macroalgal fossils. Here, the fossil assemblages of Flabellophyton from India are described for the first time.