Expanding the diversity of conifer xyloflora from Early Cretaceous Crato Fossil Lagerstätte, Brazil

• Published in: Review of palaeobotany and palynology Vol. 322; p. 105061
• Main Authors: da Conceição, Domingas Maria, Gobo, William V., Batista, Maria E.P., Oliveira, Naiara C., Mastroberti, Alexandra A., Iannuzzi, Roberto, Bamford, Marion K., Kunzmann, Lutz
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.03.2024
• Subjects: Araripe Basin; Bark; Crato Formation; Taxonomy; Wood anatomy; Wood anatomy; Araripe Basin; Taxonomy; Bark; Crato Formation
• ISSN: 0034-6667; 1879-0615
• DOI: 10.1016/j.revpalbo.2024.105061

Remains of gymnosperms are the most abundant plant macro-fossils in the outcrops of a fossil lagerstätte preserved in lacustrine limestones in the likely lower Aptian Crato Formation of the Araripe Basin in NE Brazil. However, the systematics of most fossil-taxa are mainly based on foliage and reproductive structures, whereas wood anatomy has rarely been used to study fossil plant diversity, despite the abundance of wood fragments. Here we describe a new fossil gymnosperm taxon based on anatomical characters of a well-preserved specimen from this lithostratigraphic unit. The new fossil-genus and fossil-species Cratoxylon placidoi gen. nov. et sp. nov. are established using characters of the secondary xylem and the bark, features that are also crucial for their affiliation into conifers. This finding reinforces the already known remarkable preservation potential of organisms in this konservat lagerstätte, since bark tissues are rarely preserved in the fossil record of Mesozoic gymnosperms. The results reveal the great potential of fossil woods for studying diversity of the Crato Formation flora and thus contribute to expand our knowledge on fossil vegetation in equatorial Gondwana during the early diversification of angiosperms. •New fossil genus and species of conifer are established from Cretaceous of Brazil.•This species has bark preserved, which is rarely reported in Mesozoic gymnosperms.•This record expands the knowledge of Crato Fossil Lagerstätte paleoxyloflora.