The first report of Lesbosoxylon Süss & Velitzelos from the early-middle Miocene of eastern Anatolia

Abstract

A new fossil pine species from eastern Turkey is described and its botanical affinities are discussed. The sample was collected from the city of Kemaliye, Erzincan province, Turkey, and derives from the early-middle Miocene Divriği formation. Transverse, tangential and radial sections were taken from the petrified wood, and its palaeoxylotomical features were investigated. Based on its anatomical features including idioblastic cells in rays a new fossil-species of the genus Lesbosoxylon Süss & Velitzelos was identified as Lesbosoxylon kemaliyensis Akkemik & Mantzouka, sp. nov. Diagnostic features of the new species are: Transition from earlywood to latewood mostly gradual; axial and radial resin canals with thin-walled epithelial cells present; latewood tracheids thin to thick walled; bordered pits on radial walls of tracheids 1-2(-3) seriate; crassulae common; rays heterocellular, uniseriate, partly biseriate; uniseriate rays up to 27 cells high; fusiform rays up to 30 cells high; axial parenchyma occasionally present; ray tracheids 2-3 rows; cell walls of ray tracheids smooth; cross-field pitting pinoid, 1-2(-6) pits per cross-field. Detailed investigation of the botanical affinities of the new fossil wood suggested that the most closely related modern species is Pinus canariensis C. Sm in Buch, a relict species from the Canary Islands.

MioceneCupressinoxylonfrom Gökçeada (Imbros), Turkey withProtophytobiacambium mining and the study of ecological signals of wood anatomy

“…The co–occurrence of the latter woods with hornbeam, beech, and pine trees, indicates well–drained lowland and upland conditions ( Güngör et al, 2019 ). Many other studies on the woody flora of early and early–middle Miocene have indicated the presence of a subtropical warm and humid climate in Turkey ( e.g ., Denk et al, 2017 ; Denk, Güner & Bouchal, 2019 ; Güner et al, 2017 on macrofossils; Akgün, Kayseri & Akkiraz, 2007 ; Akkiraz et al, 2011 ; Biltekin, 2017 on microfossils, and Acarca Bayam et al, 2018 ; Akkemik, 2020 , 2021 ; Akkemik, Acarca & Hatipoğlu, 2017 ; Akkemik, Akkılıç & Güngör, 2019 ; Akkemik, Köse & Poole, 2005 ; Akkemik, Mantzouka & Kıran Yıldırım, 2020 ; Akkemik & Sakınç, 2013 ; Akkemik et al, 2009 , 2016 , 2019 on petrified woods).…”

Brachyoxylon fossil woods with traumatic resin canals from the Upper Cretaceous Cerro Fortaleza Formation, southern Patagonia (Santa Cruz Province, Argentina)

“…The presence of traumatic resin canals (TRC) in conifer fossil wood, in secondary xylem, has been documented from the Late Triassic to the Late Pleistocene, mostly in the Northern Hemisphere. Fossil wood genera related to the Pinaceae (Cedroxylon Kraus, Keteelerioxylon Shilkina, Lariciaxylon Greguss, Piceoxylon Gothan, Pinoxylon Knowlton, Protocedroxylon Gothan, Protopiceoxylon Gothan, and Lesbosoxylon Süss and Velitzelos) more commonly have TRC than fossil genera of other conifer families (e.g., Shimakura, 1937;Blokhina et al, 2006;Blokhina and Afonin 2009;Selmeier and Grosser, 2011;Ding et al, 2016;Sakala et al, 2018;Akkemik et al, 2020). Also, TRC were described in fossil genera related to the Taxodiaceae (Glyptostroboxylon Süss and Velitzelos, Oguraxylon Nishida and Taxodioxylon Hartig), and to a lesser extent to the Cupressaceae (Sequoioxylon Torrey) (e.g., Nishida, 1974;Süss and Velitzelos, 1997;Oh et al, 2011;Afonin, 2013).…”