A new type of homoxylous Mesozoic wood from Asia, with palaeogeographical and palaeoecological implications
Résumé
A peculiar radial pitting type, mostly opposite to sub-opposite in long chains of square pits, is encountered while reviewing the Mesozoic fossil wood record from eastern Asia. It is called ‘japonicum-type’ of radial pitting in this study. Through the bibliographical surveys and a reappraisal of hundreds of specimens, in several collections, it was found out that the fossil woods with the japonicum-type of pittingwere constrained in time and space. We identified about one hundred occurrences, all of them restricted to eastern Asia (from Thailand to Japan) and to the Mid-Jurassic to Early Cretaceous interval. Those of these woods which were previously published, were identified as Agathoxylon, Protopodocarpoxylon or Brachyoxylon. However, we think these woods should be reunified in a new genus, characterized by this unique japonicum-type of radial-pitting.Its spatio-temporally limited distribution suggests that this morphogenus is probably an indicator for terrestrial biogeography and for palaeoclimatology.
Origine | Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s) |
---|