Teebacia 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 : 224-225

Genus Teebacia E.M.FRIIS, P.R.CRANE et K.R.PEDERSEN gen. nov.

T y p e. Designated here. Teebacia hughesii E. M. FRIIS ,

P. R. CRANE et K. R. PEDERSEN gen. et sp. nov.

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.

PFN000485 (for new genus).

E t y m o l o g y. From the informal name Barremianteebac given to similar grains from the Barremian of southern England by Norman F. Hughes.

D i a g n o s i s. Anthers narrowly elliptical and flattened, dithecate and tetrasporangiate. Pollen small, almost circular in equatorial outline, monocolpate. Colpus long. Exine semitectate-reticulate and columellate. Reticulum coarse, heterobrochate with lumina of various sizes. Muri with a supratectal ornamentation of narrow ridges perpendicular to the length of the muri. Underside of muri granular. Muri supported by long, scattered columellae. Colpus margin distinct formed by the fused marginal muri.

C o m m e n t s o n t h e g e n u s. Pollen grains of Teebacia are distinguished from all other reticulate pollen described here by the supratectal ornamentation of densely arranged, narrow ridges. Similar grains from the Barremian of Southern England were informally referred to as CfA Barremian- teebac by Hughes (1994) and Retisulc-Cand(Teebac) ( Hughes et al. 1979). Comparable grains from many other Early Cretaceous palynofloras are typically assigned to the genus Retimonocolpites. For example, Retimonocolpites muristriatus J.H.J.PENNY from the late Barremian of Egypt ( Penny 1986) is very similar to pollen of Teebacia hughesii but is larger and the reticulum appears more dense. However, Retimonocolpites sensu stricto is characterized by the very long encircling colpus and apparently smooth muri. Comprehensive revision would require that Retimonocolpites muristriatus and similar species be transferred to Teebacia .