Abstract
Two new conifer morphospecies represented by a secondary xylem are reported for the Lower Cretaceous Baqueró Group (Santa Cruz Province, Argentina). Agathoxylon sp. is characterized by poorly defined growth rings, predominantly uniseriate pitting in the radial wall of the tracheids, cross fields with 1-6 pits and uniseriate rays. These features are shared with the leafy branches described for the unit as Araucaria grandifolia Feruglio emend. Del Fueyo and Archangelsky. The second taxon, Brachyoxylon sp. cf. B. boureaui, possesses poorly defined growth rings, mixed wood with predominantly uniseriate radial pitting, cross fields with 8-26 pits and uniseriate rays. These taxa represent the first fossil woods described for Baqueroan strata.
Highlights
The Baqueró flora represents one of the most exhaustively studied fossil communities of the Early Cretaceous of Gondwana
The research made since the early twenties of the twentieth century has resulted in an extensive list of taxa, as well as in several biostratigraphical and palaeoecologial studies (see Archangelsky (2003), Del Fueyo et al (2007), and Limarino et al (2012) for a detailed review)
Several fossil wood specimens collected from several fossiliferous localities are described in detail and referred to the conifer genera Agathoxylon Hartig 1848 sensu Philippe 1995 and Brachyoxylon Hollick and Jeffrey 1909
Summary
The fossil family Cheirolepidiaceae is somewhat less diverse, and is represented by fertile branches included in several species of Tomaxellia and abundant pollen grains of the genus Classopollis (Archangelsky 2003). For the time being, no description has been provided in the literature for these remains In this contribution, several fossil wood specimens collected from several fossiliferous localities are described in detail and referred to the conifer genera Agathoxylon Hartig 1848 sensu Philippe 1995 and Brachyoxylon Hollick and Jeffrey 1909. The Baqueró Group occurs in the central region of the Santa Cruz Province (Argentina), in the Macizo de Deseado Basin Deposits included in this Group are mostly continental, consisting of lacustrine and fluvial sediments (Cladera et al 2002). Radiometric ages obtained for these deposits revealed ages of 111.8 +/- 7.40 Ma and 118.56 +/- 1.40 Ma for the Anfiteatro de Ticó (Corbella, 2001, 2006) and 114.67 +/- 0.18 Ma for the Punta del Barco Formation (Césari et al 2011), placing the deposition of the Baqueró Group during the late Aptian
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