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Hexagyne philippiana gen. et sp. nov., a piperalean angiosperm from the Early Cretaceous of northern Gondwana (Crato Formation, Brazil)
Author(s) -
Coiffard Clément,
Mohr Barbara A.R.,
Bernardes-de-Oliveira Mary E.C.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
taxon
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.819
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1996-8175
pISSN - 0040-0262
DOI - 10.12705/636.17
Subject(s) - perianth , gondwana , biology , cretaceous , ndhf , laurasia , botany , taxon , twig , paleontology , pollen , clade , phylogenetic tree , stamen , biochemistry , structural basin , gene
Hexagyne philippiana gen. et sp. nov. represents the first macrofossil piperalean taxon from the Early Cretaceous (Aptian). The fossil material from northern Gondwana consists of a twig with well‐preserved leaves and a characteristic venation pattern plus a twig with attached leaves and several flowers combined in a raceme. The new taxon shares many characters, such as leaf shape and venation pattern, as well as flower morphology, including a clearly developed perianth and six fused carpels, with extant Aristolochiaceae (sensu lato) and/or related clades. Representatives of Aristolochiaceae grow today in Laurasia. The Early Cretaceous finds in South America (Brazil) may indicate a Gondwanan origin of this group. Based on its morphology, Hexagyne gen. nov. might have had an ecology of an understory plant in a shaded environment.