Walchia, Sternberg, 1825

Moreau, Jean-David & Gand, Georges, 2022, New data on the Permian ecosystem of the Rodez Basin: ichnofauna (traces of protostomians, tetrapods and fishes), jellyfishes and plants from Banassac-Canilhac (Lozère, southern France), Geodiversitas 44 (31), pp. 975-987 : 983-984

cf. Walchia ( Fig. 5A, B )

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — M486_ 2022.1.6, slab with one specimen. M486_ 2022.1.10, slab with numerous specimens.

DESCRIPTION

The longest shoot is 90 mm long. Leafy shoots are up to 17 mm in diameter, and straight to slightly curved ( Fig. 5A, B ). Leaves are helically arranged. They are quite elongated and show a long free part that forms an angle of up to 45° with the main axis of the shoot ( Fig. 5A, B ). Leaves are falcate in sagittal section. They are up to 12 mm long. The apex of leaves is acute and commonly slightly curved inward. Occasionally, the apex of leaves is slightly recurved outwards.

REMARKS

Plant remains are quite common in the fossiliferous bed from Le Bousquet. However, the plant assemblage is only composed of cf. Walchia leafy axes.Regionally, the conifer Walchia Sternberg, 1825 was previously reported from the basins of Saint-Affrique ( Gand et al. 1996) and Lodève ( Galtier & Broutin 2008; Gand et al. 2013).

Figures

FIG. 5. — Batrachichnus salamandroides Geinitz, 1861: A, B, slab bearing a trackway with pes (p.) and manus (m.) track (a pes/manus set in visible in the bottom part of the picture), and co-occurring with a conifer leafy axis (c) (cf. Walchia, in the top of the picture), photograph (A) and interpretative sketch (B); C-E, pes track, photograph (C), digital elevation model in false colours (D) and interpretative sketch (E). Convex hyporeliefs, M486_2022.1.6B. Scale bars: 1 cm.