This fossil Himenofitales fern was collected several years ago by R. Rojas and myself from a Jurassic pre mid-Oxfordian exposure of the San Cayetano Formation in western Cuba. Any suggestion as to species or genera or distribution in time and space?
Dear Dr.Manuel,
Attached here is a couple of sites which will be of some help.
http://devoniantimes.org/who/pages/ferns.html
www.uni-muenster.de/GeoPalaeontologie/Palaeo/Palbot/seite8.html
Good luck!
Thanks a lot. Unfortunately I am not an expert in fossil plants, so I dont feel like accomplishing this task without help. This is another specimen of the same.
Hi! Is it possible for you to get (and upload) higher definition photos of these specimens? That would help a lot.
The fern fossil elements was found in the San Cayetano Formation of western Cuba. This unit have been dated as Latest Triassic? through early Oxfordian Late Jurassic. The depositional environments of San Cayetano are those of a continental margin siliciclastic low land with rivers and deltas and short time marine innundations. It has been identified the fern Piazopteris branneri and we found this other element yet unidentified. Will soon post a close up of the fossils.
This is definitely not a Dicroidium. These fossils have a superficial resemblance to Rhodeopteridum/Zeilleria from the Carboniferous, but there are also several Mesozoic fern genera (Aculea, Anemia, Coniopteris amongst others) that can have similar delicate needle/spine-like pinnules. Moreover, the ultimate branchlets of some frenelopsid conifers can also appear superficially similar. It is difficult to determine the identity in the absence of higher resolution images or associated fertile organs - But, in any case, it is good to see Mesozoic plant material being discovered in Cuba.
Thanks a lot for the input. As I said, will add a more detailed image soon. You can visit the papers on Piazopteris branneri (Former Phlebopteris cubensis Vahramiev) in the library www.redciencia.cu/geobiblio/inicio.html
It would be opportune that the photographs were bigger and better detail.
At first glance aquatic plants remind me of the shape of their threadlike branches.
Regards.
Seria oportuno que las fotografias fueran mas grandes y con mejor detalle.
A primera vista me recuerdan plantas acuáticas por la forma de sus ramas filiformes.
Saludos.
Dear Manuel,
To me the best person who can help you is Dr. Mihai E. Popa:
Please contact him.
With best wishes,
Habib Alimohammadian.
This is a detail of the Cuban Jurassic unidentified fern
Sometime ago I contacted Sidney Ash, a norteamerican paleobotanist and in his opinion the fossil resembles the Jurassic fern Coniopteris.
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Social Psychology
- Attitude