Plant evolution in the Late Cretaceous (Turonian) of the southern Negev, Israel

Abstract

The fossil flora from the Late Cretaceous (Turonian) localities Gerofit and Qetura with 46 species is presently the most representative for the northern Gondwana realm. The remains of terrestrial and aquatic plants occur in the Upper Shale Member of the Ora Formation bracketed between carbonate sequences with mid-Turonian ammonites. The orders Ranunculales, Nymphaeales, Nelumbonales, Trochodendrales, Hamamelidales, Juglandales, Rosales, Myrtales, and Sapindales are recognized, with various degrees of confidence, among the dicotyledons; the Najadales, Pontederiales, Arales, Cyclanthales, Arecales, and Typhales, among the monocotyledons. A peculiar Gerofitia group, including five genera, is considered as possibly representing a new extinct order of proangiosperms or early angiosperms. The modern aspect of the Turonian angiosperms from the southern Negev suggests a high rate of morphological macroevolution accompanied by ecological differentiation. The earliest angiosperm mangroves are inferred on the basis of taphonomic evidence, root morphology, and cryptoviviparous propagules. The flower/fruit remains indicate the combretaceous and rhizophoraceous affinities of the Cretaceous mangrove species. A diversification center for these groups might have occurred at that time on the northern edge of the Gondwana realm. Instead of decreasing with a supposed convergence of the landmasses, the floristic disparity of the Laurasian and Gondwanic realms steadily increased during the Cretaceous.

Scutifolium jordanicumgen. et sp. nov. (Cabombaceae), an aquatic fossil plant from the Lower Cretaceous of Jordan, and the relationships of related leaf fossils to living genera

“…Such leaves are of the “Nymphaeaphyll” morphotype and have been placed in a variety of form genera (Crabtree, 1987) including Nelumbites and Nymphaeites . Nelumbites is a leaf‐form genus for leaves that are nearly circular, are centrally peltate, and have a high number of radiating primaries (Upchurch et al, 1994; Krassilov et al, 2005; Wang and Dilcher, 2006). Upchurch et al (1994) also pointed out that fossil early Tertiary Nelumbo leaves that are very similar to living species should be called Nelumbago (also McIver and Basinger, 1993).…”

Comparative study of leaf architecture and cuticles ofNelumbo changchangensisfrom the Eocene of Hainan Island, China, and the two extant species ofNelumbo(Nelumbonaceae)

“…Another two Cretaceous forms, Nelumbo sp. from the Cenomanian Chulym flora of western Siberia (Goloneva & Nosova, ) and Brasipeltis gregaria Krassilov, Lewy, Nevo & Silantieva from the Turonian of the Negev, Israel (Krassilov et al ., ), have numerous primary veins, like extant Nelumbo , and a structure that appears to represent the central disc, but their areolation is not preserved.…”

First megafloristic record for the Chubut Group at Somuncurá-Cañadón Asfalto Basin: An angiosperm dominated flora from the Upper Cretaceous Puesto Manuel Arce Formation, Patagonia Argentina

“…Crane et al, 1993). Some morphotypes of Debeya group have been also linked to Platanaceae (see discussion in Krassilov et al, 2005) while, at least for one fossil species, differences to this family have been pointed out (i.e. Debeya tikhonovichii (Kryshtofovich) Krassilov in Kva cek et al, 2001).…”

“…The Debeya group sensu Krassilov et al (2005) consists of a heterogeneous set of palmate, pedate and trifoliate leaves from the Late Cretaceous assemblages of the Northern Hemisphere. This informal group includes numerous species referred to leaf-genera as Debeya Miquel (including Dewalquea), Retrodewalquea Krassilov, Eudebeya Krassilov and Platydebeya Krassilov (Krassilov et al, 2005;Halamski, 2013;Halamski and Kva cek, 2013).…”

“…This informal group includes numerous species referred to leaf-genera as Debeya Miquel (including Dewalquea), Retrodewalquea Krassilov, Eudebeya Krassilov and Platydebeya Krassilov (Krassilov et al, 2005;Halamski, 2013;Halamski and Kva cek, 2013). The last two genera proposed by Krassilov consist of compound, trifoliate to simple trilobate leaves with toothed margins.…”