Satpuraphyllum furcatum—a new genus and species of Peltaspermales foliage from the mid-Permian Barakar Formation of India

Abstract

Satpuraphyllum furcatum gen. et sp. nov. is introduced to accommodate once- to twice-forked leaves with slender entire-margined segments containing a midrib that gives off very acute, freely dichotomizing, secondary veins. The leaves are amphistomatic, bearing incompletely monocyclic to amphicyclic stomata and diverse trichomes, papillae, and sparse multicellular low domal glands. These collective characters favour assignment to Peltaspermales and this is supported by co-preservation, in the same beds, of leaves with shield-shaped bracts bearing marginal seed scars. Satpuraphyllum furcatum is documented from the upper Barakar Formation (Kungurian) of central India and is the oldest known peltasperm from the core regions of Gondwana. Its presence in the Satpura Basin at that time signifies an early penetration of Peltaspermales into the Southern Hemisphere, possibly during the Artinskian–Kungurian Warming Event (initiating ca 287 Ma). Deepa Agnihotri [ deepa_agnihotri@bsip.res.in ] Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, 53 University Road, Lucknow-226007, India. AK Srivastava [ srivasatava019@gmail.com ] 5/595, Vikas Nagar, Lucknow, India. Stephen McLoughlin* [ steve.mcloughlin@nrm.se ] Department of Palaeobiology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, Stockholm, 10405, Sweden.