Cicatricosisporites sinuosus Hunt, 1985 (Fig. 8K, L, S, T)

Pollen et Spores 27: 427-428, 430, pl. 2, figs 1-3 (1985). — Omran et al., Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 66: 301, pl. 1, fig. 4 (1990). — Schrank & Ibrahim, Berliner Geowissenschaftliche Abhandlungen, Reihe A 177: 16, 17, pl. 1, fig. 14 (1995). — Ibrahim, Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 94: 151 (1996). — Al-Ameri et al., Cretaceous Research 22: 738 (2001). — Ibrahim et al., Journal of African Earth Sciences 32 (2): 276 (2001). — Mahmoud & Deaf, Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia 113 (2): 218 (2007). — Mahmoud et al., Revista Española de Micropaleontología 39 (3): 176, pl. 5, fig. 14 (2007). — Mejia Velasquez, Floral composition of a Lower Cretaceous paleotropical ecosystem inferred from quantitative palynology: 60, pl. VIII, fig. 81 (2007). — Peyrot et al., Revista Española de Micropaleontología 39 (1-2): 142 (2007). — Legrand, Palynologie des dépôts Jurassique supérieur et Crétacé inférieur du Japon, et provinces paléofloristiques du sud-est asiatique: 156, 157, pl. VIII, figs 2-4 (2009).

Camarozonosporites insignis Norris, 1959, Saad, Pollen et Spores 20 (2): 274, pl. III, figs 5, 6 (1978).

Reticulisporites sp. sensu Batten & Uwins (1985), Batten & Uwins, Journal of Micropalaeontology 4 (1): pl. 67, figs 1, 2 (1985). — Uwins & Batten, Subsurface Palynostratigraphy of Northeast Libya: 219, 224, pl. 43, fig. 12 (1988). — Masure et al., Géologie Méditerranéenne 25 (3-4): 273, pl. 2, fig. 20 (1998).

Reticulisporites sp., Pons et al., Géologie de l’Afrique et de l’Atlantique Sud: Compte rendu des Colloques de géologie d’Angers: 390 (1996).

Cicatricosisporites daxinganlingensis Pu & Wu, 1985, Umetsu & Sato, Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 144 (1-2): pl. 1, fig. 7 (2007).

OCCURRENCE. — Ashikajima and Kimigahama Fm (common).

DISTRIBUTION. — North Tethys. Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous of England (Hunt 1985). This species is known in Japan under the name Cicatricosisporites daxinganlingensis Pu & Wu, 1985 (Aptian-Albian, Umetsu & Sato 2007). It was also reported from the early Aptian of France (Masure et al. 1998), and late Aptian-early Albian of Spain (Peyrot et al. 2007).

South Tethys. This species is known in the?late Hauterivian-?middle Barremian and early to middle Albian of Libya under the name Reticulisporites sp. sensu Batten & Uwins (1985) (Uwins & Batten 1988). It was also reported in the Barremian of Lebanon (Dejax, personnal communication), early Aptian of Colombia (Mejia Velasquez 2007), late Aptian of Brazil (Pons et al. 1996, under the name Reticulisporites sp.), Aptian-Albian of Egypt (Saad 1978, under the name Camarozonosporites insignis Norris, 1959; Omran et al. 1990; Schrank & Ibrahim 1995; Ibrahim 1996; Ibrahim et al. 2001; Mahmoud & Deaf 2007; Mahmoud et al. 2007), Albian of Tunisia (Pons, personnal communication), and Albian-early Cenomanian of Iraq (Al-Ameri et al. 2001).

DESCRIPTION

Trilete microspore. Amb rounded triangular. The laesurae are straight, bordered by lips (1-1.5 µm wide), and extend to the 3/4 of the spore radius. Exine striate. Striae (0.5-1.5 µm wide; 0.5-1 µm high) are separated by spaces 0.5 to 3 µm wide; they are oblique to perpendicular to the equator, more or less sinuous and parallel, can bifurcate, and run irregularly on both faces. On the proximal face, each interradial area contains 4 to 9 striae. The exine is about 1 µm thick. Equatorial diameter = 20-35 (40) µm.

REMARKS

Hunt (1985) attributed this species to Cicatricosisporites . However, it differs from all other species already described in this genus, by its striae perpendicular to the equator on the proximal face. De Haan (1997) proposed in his thesis a new form-genus, Huntisporis, and a new combination, Huntisporis sinuosus (Hunt, 1985) de Haan, 1997, but both are not valid because unpublished.

Cicatricosisporites curvatus Pu & Wu, 1982 (417, pl. 8, figs 19, 20), reported from the?ValanginianBarremian of the Heilongjiang Province of North China, has a similar size (34-42 µm in diameter) and distribution of the striae, but the laters are larger (2-3 µm) than those of C. sinuosus (0.5- 1.5 µm).

Cicatricosisporites sinuosus, reported from the Neocomian-Barremian of Portugal by Trincão (1990: 155, pl. 19, figs 4, 5, 9), shows a proximal face with ridges perpendicular to the equator and a distal face rugate-reticulate, different from C. sinuosus .

BOTANICAL AFFINITIES

Cicatricosisporites sinuosus shows similarities with spores of the genus Saccoloma Kaulfuss ( Polypodiales, Saccolomataceae) (Murillo & Bless 1974; Tryon & Tryon 1982; Tryon & Lugardon 1991).