Coniopteris
Coniopteris sp. from the Mecsek Coal Formation, Hungary, Hettangian
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Division: Polypodiophyta
Class: Polypodiopsida
Subclass: Polypodiidae
Genus: †Coniopteris
Brongniart 1849
Type species
Coniopteris murrayana
Brongniart 1835
Species
  • C. bella Li, Xiu, Tan & Tian, 2023
  • C. burejensis Li, Xiu, Tan & Tian, 2023
  • C. frutiformis Douglas 1973
  • C. hymenophylloides Seward 1900
  • C. murrayana Brongniart 1835
Synonyms
  • Polystichites C. Presl in Sternberg, 1838

Coniopteris is an extinct genus of Mesozoic fern leaves. It was widespread over both hemispheres during the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous, with over 130 species having been described.[1] While traditionally assumed to have been a member of Dicksoniaceae or a close relative of Thyrsopteris, a 2020 cladistic analysis found it to be a stem group of Polypodiales.[1] Most species of Coniopteris probably had a herbaceous habit.[1] Coniopteris laciniata had tufts of leaves sprouting from intervals of a thin, creeping rhizome.[2] The genus is technically a junior synonym of the little used Polystichites, but was conserved by the ICZN in 2013.[3] Some authors suggest a range of Early Jurassic-early Late Cretaceous for the genus,[1] while others suggest a more expansive range spanning from the Middle Triassic to the Eocene.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Li, Chunxiang; Miao, Xinyuan; Zhang, Li-Bing; Ma, Junye; Hao, Jiasheng (January 2020). "Re-evaluation of the systematic position of the Jurassic–Early Cretaceous fern genus Coniopteris". Cretaceous Research. 105: 104136. Bibcode:2020CrRes.10504136L. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2019.04.007. S2CID 146355798.
  2. ^ Blanco‐Moreno, Candela; Buscalioni, Ángela D. (2023-04-08). "Revision of the Barremian fern Coniopteris laciniata from Las Hoyas and El Montsec (Spain): Highlighting its importance in the evolution of vegetation during the Early Cretaceous". Taxon. 72 (3): 625–637. doi:10.1002/tax.12888. hdl:10486/707335. ISSN 0040-0262. S2CID 258044454.
  3. ^ Doweld, Alexander B. (2013). "(2186) Proposal to conserve the name Coniopteris against Polystichites (fossil Pteridophyta, Protodicksoniales)". Taxon. 62 (4): 840. doi:10.12705/624.21. ISSN 1996-8175.
  4. ^ Trevisan, Cristine; Dutra, Tânia; Ianuzzi, Roberto; Sander, Andrea; Wilberger, Thièrs; Manríquez, Leslie Marcela Elizabeth; Mansilla, Héctor; Leppe, Marcelo (August 2022). "Coniopteris antarctica sp. nov. (Pteridophyta) and associated plant assemblage from the Upper Cretaceous of Rip Point, Nelson Island, Antarctica". Cretaceous Research. 136: 105185. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2022.105185. S2CID 247684239.


Categories