Symplocos casparyi R.LUDW., 1857

Martinetto, Edoardo, Bertini, Adele, Mantzouka, Dimitra, Natalicchio, Marcello, Niccolini, Gabriele & Kovar-Eder, Johanna, 2022, Remains Of A Subtropical Humid Forest In A Messinian Evaporitebearing Succession At Govone, Northwestern Italy - Preliminary Results, Fossil Imprint 78 (1), pp. 157-188 : 173

Symplocos casparyi R.LUDW., 1857

Text-fig. 7g

M a t e r i a l. An endocarp from layer GLA10 (MGPTPU141089).

R e m a r k s. This fossil is an elongate lignified object with several longitudinal ribs, a small circular pith at the base and three compressed seed locules. These characters and the direct comparison with well-preserved fossils ( Mai and Martinetto 2006) permit us to recognize it as a compressed and damaged fruit stone (endocarp) of Symplocos . Shape, dimensions and aspect of the longitudinal ribs correspond to those of the common Neogene species S. casparyi . This is the first report of this fossil-species for the Miocene of Italy, whereas it was already known from the Pliocene and Pleistocene ( Martinetto et al. 2014, 2018b).

Figures

Text-fig. 7. Stereomicroscope microphotographs of plant remains sieved out of a sediment bulk sample (C3X) from bed GLA10 of Govone. a: Tetraclinis salicornioides (UNGER) KVAČEK, shoot fragment, MGPT-PU141083). b: Toddalia latisiliquata (R.LUDW.) H.-J. GREGOR, seed, MGPT-PU141084. c: Toddalia rhenana H.-J.GREGOR, seed, MGPT-PU141085. d: Eurya stigmosa (R.LUDW.) MAI, small seed with piths filled by organic remains and sediment, MGPT-PU141086. e: Eurya stigmosa (R.LUDW.) MAI, fragmentary seed, MGPT-PU141087. f: Visnea germanica MENZEL, fruit from two opposite sides, MGPT-PU141088. g: Symplocos casparyi R.LUDW., endocarp in lateral view from two opposite sides, MGPT-PU141089. Scale bar 1 mm.