Voltziales y Pinales (=Coniferales) de la Formación Cortaderita (Triásico Medio), Argentina, y su implicancia en la reconstrucción en la reconstrucción de las coníferas triásicas).

BODNAR J; RUIZ D. P.; ARTABE A. E.; MOREL E. M.; GANUZA D.

REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE PALEONTOLOGIA

SOC BRASILEIRA PALEONTOLOGIA

Lugar: Porto Alegre; Año: 2015 vol. 18 p. 141 - 160

1519-7530

In this work, we describe fossil wood, leaves, and branches designated to the Subclass Pinidae (Order Voltziales and Pinales), from Cortaderita Formation (Middle Triassic). Fossil materials were collected at Cortaderita and La Tinta creeks, at Barreal area from Barreal-Calingasta basin, Pre-Andean region of San Juan, Argentina. We recognized leaves corresponding to three species of Heidiphyllum (Order Voltziales), leafy twigs assigned to Elatocladus planus (Order Pinales) and permineralized trunks and branches ascribed to Cupressinoxylon zamunerae sp. nov. (Order Pinales). The last two species exhibit characters that allow us to designate them to Family Cupressaceae sensu lato. At the same time, we demonstrate that they belong to the same plant, which is named as the new species of Cupressinoxylon here described. This reconstruction is based on kindred reinforcement and mutual occurrence criteria, besides morphological and anatomical characters. Thus, C. zamunerae sp. nov. is interpreted as a tree 13 m tall, highly branched, with penultimate order shoots with scale-like leaves and last order shoots with alternate, sessile, single-veined, linear to acicular leaves distributed helically. These records confirm the presence of Cupressaceae sensu lato since the Triassic in Gondwana.