Taxodiaceous conifers from the Maastrichtian type area (Late Cretaceous, NE Belgium, SE Netherlands)

Abstract

Leafy shoots of two Late Cretaceous conifers from the Maastrichtian type area are presented. Stomatal features indicate that these fossils belong to the family Taxodiaceae. Adaxial stomatal bands found in the type material of Cycadopsis cryptomerioides Miquel allow reassignment of that species to the genus Elatidopsis Srinivasan and Friis: Elatidopsis cryptomerioides comb. nov. A remarkably well-preserved specimen with amphistomatic leaves in a piece of flint is described here as a new species of Cryptomeriopsis Stopes and Fujii: Cryptomeriopsis eluvialis sp. nov. The genus Elatidopsis is proposed as a morphotaxon to accommodate taxodiaceous shoots with epistomatic, lanceolate, bifacially flattened leaves, and Cryptomeriopsis as a morphotaxon for taxodiaceous shoots bearing amphistomatic, falcate leaves, with the adaxial stomatal bands more developed than the abaxial ones. E. cryptomerioides and C. eluvialis are compared with some other taxodioid conifers from European Late Cretaceous floras: Cunninghamites/ Elatocladus, Geinitzia, Quasisequoia and Sphenolepis.