Megaflora de la Formación Palo Pintado (Mioceno Superior) Salta, Argentina. Parte II

ANZÓTEGUI, L.M,; HORN, M.Y.

REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE PALEONTOLOGIA

SOC BRASILEIRA PALEONTOLOGIA

Lugar: Porto Alegre; Año: 2011 vol. 14 p. 239 - 254

1519-7530

ABSTRACT. MEGAFLORA DE LA FORMACIÓN PALO PINTADO MIOCENO SUPERIOR, SALTA, ARGENTINA. PARTE II. Nine taxa of plant megafossils from the Upper Miocene Palo Pintado Formation and  localities Quebrada del Estanque, Quebrada del Horno, Quebrada de Alfredo y Rincón del Horno, in southern Salta province, Argentina, are presented. They comprise  three new species, viz., Blechnum serrulatiformis sp. nov., (pinnae), Sapium haematospermoides sp. nov. y Cedrela fissiliformis sp. nov. (leaf impressions); stem impressions with leaves Lycopodiella aff. cernua Picchi Sermoli (Lycopodiaceae), Equisetum sp. 2 y Mayaca aff. fluviatilis Aublet (Mayacaceae) while Ranunculodendron  anzoteguiae Lutz & Martinez (incertae sedis) is an anatomically preserved stem; rachises with pinnae are Acrostichum paleoaureum Beauchamp, Lemoigne & Petrescu (Pteridaceae and leaf impressions  Cabomba aff. caroliniana A. Gray (Nymphaeaceae), Caesalpinea aff.  stukerti Hassler (Fabaceae, Caesalpinoidea). New for the Southamerican Neogene are Lycopodiella aff. cernua, Cabomba aff. caroliniana., Mayaca aff. fluvialitilis y Acrostichum paleoaureum. Comparing and relating habits and habitats with close related extant plants, four paleocommunities can be inferred: fresh water, marsh, riparian forest and xerophitic. As most of the comparable extant plants have a subtropical to tropical distribution in South America it can be confirmed that the Palo Pintado paleoflora developed under a humid subtropical, with short stationality, climate.