Lauraceous palmately lobed leaf from the middle Cretaceous Cintura Formation (Albian–Cenomanian), Sonora, Mexico: Identification based on two comparative models

Abstract

A new middle Cretaceous trilobed leaf, Araliaephyllum silvapinedae sp. nov., collected near the town of Cabullona, Sonora, Mexico, in La Cintura (Albian–Cenomanian) Formation, is described and identified through two comparative methods: a leaf architecture analysis and the morphometric analysis of its shape. These allowed close comparison of the Cabullona material with extant and fossil taxa. The results of both the comparative methods demonstrate that the leaf of the new fossil plant is related to Araliaephyllum and Pabiania, the former being the one with which it shares most characteristics, both in leaf architecture and in shape. The analyses further confirm close morphological similarity between Araliaephyllum and Pabiania, as well as their relationship with Laurales, supporting the recognition of a new species for the Sonoran material.