Nodosisporites makotoi Legrand, Pons, Nishida & Yamada n. sp. (Fig. 10 A-F)

Nodosisporites sp., Legrand, Palynologie des dépôts Jurassique supérieur et Crétacé inférieur du Japon, et provinces paléofloristiques du sud-est asiatique: 166, 167, pl. XIII, figs 1, 2, 4, 7; pl. XIV, fig. 7 (2009).

TYPE MATERIAL. — Site II, horizon 2, slides a, b; holotype (II2 a-L58/2; Fig. 10A, D); paratypes (II2 b-E56/3, II2b-U33; Fig. 10B, C, E, F). Collection de Paléobotanique-UPMC, Paris, France.

ETYMOLOGY. — The species is named in honour of Prof. Makoto Nishida, who first studied fossil plants from the Choshi Group.

OCCURRENCE. — Ashikajima and Kimigahama formations.

TYPE LOCALITY. — Hatoyama, SE Choshi Peninsula, Chiba Prefecture, Japan.

STRATIGRAPHIC HORIZON. — Ashikajima Formation (Barremian).

DIAGNOSIS

Tetrahedral trilete microspore. Amb rounded triangular. Proximal face slightly flattened, with a psilate contact area followed by 1 or 2 muri parallel to the equator. The laesurae are relatively narrow, raised (about 3 µm), undulating, and extend to the 3/4 of the spore radius or to the equator; they are smooth or ornamented by small spines (0.5-1 µm high and 1-3 µm in basal diameter). Near the apices, 5-6 big spines (3-5 µm high) are present. A translucent equatorial zona with a dentate margin can be seen. The exine is cicatricose. The distal face shows 3 sets of 3-4 muri sinuous but parallel to the equator. One of these sets goes on to form a triangle (sometimes, more or less a network) centered on the distal pole (Fig. 11). The ornamentation of this form corresponds to the type I-A defined by Krutzsch (1963). Equatorial diameter = 40-45 µm.

REMARKS

Appendicisporites dentimarginatus Brenner, 1963 shows similarities with Nodosisporites makotoi, but lacks spines on the apices.

BOTANICAL AFFINITIES

Schizaeales, Anemiaceae (Dettmann & Clifford 1992) . The ornamentation shows similarities with that of Anemia phyllitidis (Linnaeus) Swartz from Brazil, figured by Tryon & Lugardon (1991).