A new species of Lygodium (Schizaeaceae) from the Buxin Formation (middle Paleocene), Sanshui Basin, South China

Abstract

© 2019 Elsevier Ireland Ltd Elsevier B.V. and Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, CAS The morphology, epidermal features and details of the conducting tissues are described for Lygodium sterile pinnules from the oil-bearing middle Paleocene strata of the Sanshui Basin, Guangdong Province, South China. A new species, Lygodium sanshuiense n. sp., is erected on the basis of being petiolulate, with palmately-lobed sterile pinnules that are often strongly dissected and have acute to acuminate apices. Lygodium is typically associated with mesic floras and its presence in the Buxin palaeoflora suggests the overall regional palaeoclimate was subtropical and humid during the middle Paleocene.