Goczania inaequalis E.M.FRIIS, P.R.CRANE et K.R.PEDERSEN, 2019

Friis, Else Marie, Crane, Peter R. & Pedersen, Kaj Raunsgaard, 2019, The Early Cretaceous Mesofossil Flora Of Torres Vedras (Ne Of Forte Da Forca), Portugal: A Palaeofloristic Analysis Of An Early Angiosperm Community, Fossil Imprint 75 (2), pp. 153-257 : 196-197

Goczania inaequalis E.M.FRIIS, P.R.CRANE et K.R.PEDERSEN sp. nov.

Text-fig. 28a–l

H o l o t y p e. Designated here. S137919 (Torres Vedras sample 44; figured Text-fig. 28a–f ).

P l a n t F o s s i l N a m e s R e g i s t r y N u m b e r.

PFN000463 (for new species).

P a r a t y p e s. Designated here. S136768, S148011,

S174557 (Torres Vedras sample 44).

R e p o s i t o r y. Palaeobotanical Collections , Department of Palaeobiology, the Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden .

E t y m o l o g y. From Latin: inaequalis referring to the uneven distribution of the microechinae.

T y p e l o c a l i t y. Torres Vedras (NE of Forte de

Forca; 39°06′13″ N, 9°14′47″ W).

T y p e s t r a t u m a n d a g e. Lower member of the Almargem Formation; Early Cretaceous (late Barremianearly Aptian).

D i a g n o s i s. As for the genus with the following additions: Equatorial outline of pollen circular to transversely elliptical. Tectum microperforate and microechinate, not rugulate. Perforations minute and scattered. Microechinae confined to the proximal surface and bordering the colpus on the distal surface; otherwise the distal face and equatorial region psilate.

D i s t i n g u i s h i n g f e a t u r e s. The species is distinguished from Goczania rugosa by the psilate, nonrugulate, surface of the pollen and the uneven distribution of the supratectal ornamentation. Goczania inaequalis is distinguished from G. punctatus by the less pronounced perforations in the tectum.

D i m e n s i o n s. Equatorial diameter of pollen grains:

11–12 µm.

D e s c r i p t i o n a n d r e m a r k s. Goczania inaequalis is based on four anther fragments with in situ pollen grains ( Text-fig. 28a, g ) as well as isolated pollen grains found in coprolites ( Text-fig. 48c, e ). The inner surface of the anther wall is covered by densely spaced orbicules ( Text-fig. 28b, c, f ). Orbicules are also scattered over the surface of the pollen grains ( Text-fig. 28l ). The orbicules are small, spherical and with a surface ornamentation of microechinate sculpturing ( Text-fig. 28c ).

The pollen grains are small, circular to transversely elliptical in equatorial outline, and about 11–12 µm in equatorial diameter ( Text-fig. 28d–f, h, j–l ). The colpus is long, reaching almost to the equator. In grains that are transversely elliptical, the colpus is oriented perpendicular to the longest axis of the grain ( Text-fig. 28d, k, l ). The colpus margin is distinct with a slightly irregular outline. The pollen wall is tectate with a supratectal ornamentation of solitary microechinae on the proximal surface and also bordering the colpus. Microechinae are absent from the distal face between the colpus margin and the equator where the tectum is psilate ( Text-fig. 28d–e, h, j–l ). As seen in several broken grains the infratectal layer is thin and granular (Textfig. 28i).

A f f i n i t y a n d o t h e r o c c u r r e n c e s. Goczania inaequalis , like Appomattoxia minuta , Appomattoxia ancistrophora , Appofructus nudus and Appofructus sp. , as well as Goczania rugosa , is probably related to extant Piperales (see above).

Goczania inaequalis is currently known only from the Torres Vedras mesofossil flora. Pollen grains reported as Tucanopollis cf. crispopollenites from the early-late Aptian of Algarve, Portugal ( Heimhofer et al. 2007) may be conspecific with Goczania inaequalis , but details of the tectum ornamentation/perforation are not clear from the LM illustrations and at this resolution it may be difficult to distinguish between G. inaequalis and G. punctata (see below).

Figures

Text-fig. 28. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of monocolpate pollen of Goczania inaequalis sp. nov.; Torres Vedras locality, Portugal. a) Holotype; stamen fragment that yielded the pollen in (b–f, k); b) Group of pollen grains showing distal and proximal surfaces and inner surface of anther wall with densely spaced orbicules; c) Inner surface of anther wall showing small, spherical orbicules with microechinate sculpturing; d, e, j–l) Pollen grains in distal and equatorial view (k) showing the long colpus with an irregular margin flanked by narrow bands of poorly differentiated microechinate; note that colpus is aligned perpendicular to the longest axes in elliptical grains and that the pollen wall is almost psilate around the equator and in the distal

Text-fig. 48. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of monocolpate pollen from a coprolite; Torres Vedras locality, Portugal. a) Coprolite that yielded the pollen in this Text-figure as well as several other kinds of pollen; b) Reticulum of pollen grain showing the tall, sharp muri and obconical columellae; c–e) Grains of Goczania inaequalis sp. nov. intermixed with pollen grains that have a coarse, loosely attached reticulum with tall, sharp muri and sparse columellae; note the weak transverse striations on the muri and that the reticulum is much larger than the main body of the grain that it encloses. Specimen, TV44-S148023. Scale bars 300 Μm (a), 6 Μm (c–e), 3 Μm (b).