Matoniaceous ferns from the Lower Jurassic strata of the Holy Cross Mountains (SE Poland). Revision of historical specimens and description of some new materials

Grzegorz Pacyna

doi:10.35535/acpa-2021-0006

Abstract

Ferns from the family Matoniaceae are characteristic but not very numerous elements of Early Jurassic floras of the Holy Cross Mountains. Based on historical specimens from the Geological Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences, only partly published by Raciborski and Makarewiczówna, and a new collection gathered recently from the Gromadzice outcrop, two taxa are here recognised: Matonia braunii and Phlebopteris angustiloba, of which only P. angustiloba is rather frequent. Both species are represented by sterile and fertile specimens well comparable with historical and recently published material of these species from Greenland, Germany and Sweden. Specimens referred by Raciborski to Laccopteris elegans (illegitimate name) do not belong to Matoniaceae.

Highlights

The fern family Matoniaceae is a characteristic but only locally numerous and moderately taxonomically diversified element of Mesozoic floras from the Late Triassic to Cretaceous, becoming more and more relictual in the Cenozoic (Schweitzer, 1978; Tidwell and Ash, 1994; Popa, 1997; Taylor et al, 2009)
Fossils are much rarer in fine clays, but one specimen of Phlebopteris angustiloba pinnae and an isolated pinnule of Matonia braunii with sori preserved were found
All available historical specimens of Matoniaceae from Lower Jurassic strata of the Holy Cross Mountains deposited in the Geological Museum of the Institute of Geological Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences Research Centre in Cracow, were studied

Summary

INTRODUCTION

The fern family Matoniaceae is a characteristic but only locally numerous and moderately taxonomically diversified element of Mesozoic floras from the Late Triassic to Cretaceous, becoming more and more relictual in the Cenozoic (Schweitzer, 1978; Tidwell and Ash, 1994; Popa, 1997; Taylor et al, 2009). Pacyna / Acta Palaeobotanica 61(1), 107–121, 2021 material published by Raciborski and described additional later-collected specimens Modern research on this flora began with the discovery of the Odrowąż (Sołtyków) locality in the 1970s (Reymanówna et al, 1987). Pacyna (2013) summarised the history of that research and collated a list of recognised taxa Despite this revival of research on Early Jurassic plants from the Holy Cross Mountains, the material published by Raciborski has not yet been revised. The collection gathered for him includes, besides the specimens he published, numerous specimens that were not registered and described Revision of this material is important for many reasons. This paper revises published and unpublished historical specimens of matoniaceous ferns from Lower Jurassic strata of the Holy Cross Mountains. Other taxa such as sphenopsids (Neocalamites), ferns (Clado phlebis, Matonia, Dictyophyllum), seed ferns (Sagenopteris, Pachypteris), bennettitaleans, cycads (Nilssonia) and conifers

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MATERIALS AND METHODS

CONCLUSIONS