Abstract
Fossil plants belonging to the morphogenera Glossopteris, Pecopteris and Asterotheca were collected from the upper part of the Chutani Formation (Titicaca Group), near the town of San Pablo de Tiquina, on the southeastern shore of Lake Titicaca (northern Altiplano, Bolivia). This paper presents the first description of specimens of the morphogenus Glossopteris from Bolivia. The Bolivian specimens of Glossopteris consist of poorly-preserved impressions, although they present the diagnostic features of this morphogenus. They are fragments of leaves with secondary veins of taeniopterid-type, typical of glossopterids from Late Permian deposits of Gondwana. The only species of Pecopteris confirmed in the first part of this study, i.e. P. dolianitii Rösler and Rohn (see Vieira et al. 2004), was previously reported from the Late Permian beds of the Rio do Rasto and Estrada Nova formations in the Paraná Basin (southern Brazil). Therefore, a Late Permian age is proposed for the fossil plant-bearing beds of the Chutani Formation based on the analyzed assemblage. The phytogeographic implications of this new find are briefly analyzed.
Highlights
The presence of the morphogenus Glossopteris in Bolivia had already been mentioned in the literature (Archangelsky 1984, 1986)
The glossopterid leaves under consideration show some diagnostic features mostly found in leaves of Western Gondwana assemblages from the end of Early Permian (Kungurian) and younger ages
We confirm the presence of Glossopteris in the Bolivian Central Andes, as well as the phytogeographic extension of the Gondwana Realm towards northwestern Gondwana
Summary
The presence of the morphogenus Glossopteris in Bolivia had already been mentioned in the literature (Archangelsky 1984, 1986). None of the published syntheses on Bolivian Paleozoic floras mentions this floristic element (Suárez-Soruco 1974, Archangelsky 1993). The latest review affirms that, so far, there has not been any description of glossopterid plants from Bolivia (Archangelsky 1993).
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have