A New Genus of Glossopterid Fructifications from the Artinskian to Changhsingian of Eastern Australia

Abstract

Abstract.A new genus, Karingbalia is established to accommodate certain eastern Australian glossopterid fertile organs previously assigned to Ottokaria Zeiller emend. Pant et Nautiyal. Karingbalia differs from Ottokaria mainly by the sub-parallel rather than perpendicular orientation of basal peripheral lobes with respect to the receptacle margin. Moreover, Karingbalia ranges from the Artinskian to Changhsingian, whereas Ottokaria sensu stricto is probably confined to the Cisuralian. Two Karingbalia species are recognized: K. inglisensis McLoughlin comb. nov. from the Lopingian of the Bowen and Sydney basins; and K. nychumensis sp. nov. from Artinskian-lower Kungurian strata on the Georgetown Inlier. Several additional species of Ottokaria from across Gondwana do not conform precisely to the diagnosis of that genus and their taxonomic reappraisal is proposed.

Environmental change in the late Permian of Queensland, NE Australia: The warmup to the end-Permian Extinction

“…The Black Alley Shale and equivalent units (Burngrove Formation and upper Fort Cooper Coal Measures) host rich plant macrofossil assemblages, commonly preserved as impressions in association with tuff beds or as permineralized peats. The Glossopteris flora reaches peak expression in the Bowen Basin within these units: at least 33 glossopterid leaf and fructification taxa have been recognized (Rigby, 1972(Rigby, , 1978aGould and Delevoryas, 1977;McLoughlin, 1988McLoughlin, , 1990aMcLoughlin, , 1990bMcLoughlin, , 1992McLoughlin, , 1994aMcLoughlin, , 1994bMcLoughlin, , 1995McLoughlin, , 2012McLoughlin, , 2016Pigg and McLoughlin, 1997;McLoughlin et al, 2018;Nishida et al, 2007Nishida et al, , 2013. Other gymnosperms remain sparse, but sphenophyte and fern remains are common, although of modest diversity.…”