Triassic miofloras south of the Tethys

Abstract

Triassic miofloras known from the territories of Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, the Saudi Arabian Peninsula, Pakistan, India and western Australia have been reviewed. These Triassic miofloras seem to represent four floral provinces, viz., 1) North Africa, 2) Arabian Peninsula, 3) Pakistan-western Australia, and 4) peninsular India. Certain miospore groups and genera show an interesting distribution in the Triassic. For example, striate bisaccate pollen which usually go up to the Middle Triassic are conspicuously absent in the Saharan region. Lunatisporites s. stricto which is found throughout the Triassic in most of the areas is also absent in the Sahara. Ovalipollis, which is found in North Africa - Arabian region, is not known from the eastern regions. In North Africa, the bisaccate pollen started dwindling in the Keuper and were almost extinct by the Rhaetic. Classopollis is present in the Middle Triassic of Sahara and Israel. Elsewhere the genus does not appear before the Rhaetic.