Pterophyllum filicoides ( Schlotheim, 1822 ) Zeiller, 1906

Pott, Christian, 2014, The Upper Triassic flora of Svalbard, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 59 (3), pp. 709-740 : 724-727

Pterophyllum filicoides ( Schlotheim, 1822) Zeiller, 1906

Fig. 7A–H.

1822 Algacites filicoides ; Schlotheim 1822: 47, pl. 4: 2.

1906 Pterophyllum filicoides Schlotheim ; Zeiller 1906: 196, fig. A.

1970 Pterophyllum filicoides (Schlotheim) Thomas 1930 ; Barnard 1970: 7, fig. 2.

1972 Pterophyllum jaegeri Brongniart pro parte; Vasilevskaya 1972: 48, pls. 9: 6b; 12: 4; 13: 3; 14: 1, 2; 15: 1–3a.

1972 Pterophyllum longifolium Brongniart ; Vasilevskaya 1972: 49, pls. 14: 4, 5; 15: 4.

1972 Pterophyllum sp. ; Vasilevskaya 1972: 50, pl. 13: 4.

1983 Pterophyllum jaegeri Brongn. ; Vasilevskaya 1983: 143, pl. 3: 3.

1983 Pterophyllum aff. jaegeri Brongn. ; Vasilevskaya 1983: 143, pl. 4: 1.

1983 Pterophyllum (?) sp. ( Pseudoctenis (?) sp.); Vasilevskaya 1983: 143, pl. 4: 2.

1983 Pterophyllum aff. longifolium Brongn. ; Vasilevskaya 1983: 143, pl. 4: 3.

1983 Pseudoctenis (?) sp.; Vasilevskaya 1983: 143, pl. 5: 1–3.

2007 Pterophyllum filicoides ( Schlotheim, 1822) Zeiller, 1906 ; Pott et al. 2007f: 7, pls. 1: 1–4; 2: 1–10; 3: 1–9; 4: 1–15; 8: 1, 4–5; 9: 1, 4–6.

Fig. 6. Ginkgophytes, pteridosperms, and caytonialeans from the Carnian (Upper Triassic) strata of Svalbard. A. Arberophyllum substrictum sp. nov., → VSEGEI 10979-03, from Teistberget, seen from different angles and magnifications (A 1 –A 3). B. Ptilozamites sp. cf. Ptilozamites nilssonii Nathorst, 1878 , VSEGEI 2/12163, from Husdalen, cf. Vasilevskaya (1983: pl. 1: 2) (B 1), close-up showing venation details (B 2, arrowhead). C. Sagenopteris sp. , VSEGEI 10979-78, from Hyrnefjellet. Scale bars 10 mm.

Material.— Spitsbergen: Fleur de Lyshamna ( NRM S080073, S080075–S080078, S080086, S080092–S080094, S080282, S080283); Hyrnefjellet ( VSEGEI 10979-63, 10979-64); Wimanfjellet ( VSEGEI 10979-67–10979-69); Agardhbukta ( VSEGEI 10979-58, 10979-94). Barentsøya: Schweinfurthberget ( VSEGEI 10979-60, 10979-61, 10979-70). Edgeøya: Kapp Lee ( VSEGEI 10979-24, 10979-65); Kapp Pechuel Lösche/Lindemanberget ( VSEGEI 10979-62). Hopen: Werenskioldfjellet (? VSEGEI 10/12163–12/12163, 14/12163– 16/12163); Husdalen(? VSEGEI 2/12163); Blåfjell(? VSEGEI 13/12163). Carnian (Upper Triassic).

Description.— Pterophyllum filicoides is characterised by impari-segmented (Fig. 7G 2), petiolate leaves with a prominent rachis and parallel-sided, perpendicularly inserted leaflets (Fig. 7A, C–E, H). Leaflets are inserted laterally or almost laterally on the rachis (Fig. 7B, F). All preserved specimens are fragments from different portions of the leaves. The largest fragments are 382 mm long and 96 mm wide (Fig. 7H). The rachis is typically 6–8 mm wide, whereas leaflets range in width from 3–8 mm. Leaflets are parallel-sided and bluntly rounded apically; in only a very few specimens are they constricted basally, but none are expanded; longest leaflets exceed a length of 48 mm. One leaf is preserved with an apex; the apical leaflet (28 mm in length) is identical in shape to the lateral leaflets, the preceding two pairs are inserted at acute angles and arched towards the apex (Fig. 7F, G 2). Leaflets bear dense, parallel, fine veins (Fig. 7G 1). Cuticle could not be isolated from any specimen. Leaflets are densely spaced and almost touch each other except for a few specimens where gaps up to 2 mm wide are present. Such leaves have been interpreted to have grown under shady conditions ( Pott et al. 2007f).

Remarks.— Pott et al. (2007f) recently investigated the identity of Pterophyllum longifolium and P. jaegeri and determined that the correct name of these conspecific species is P. filicoides , which has recently been accepted as the correct name for the type species of Pterophyllum ( Pott et al. 2007e; Herendeen 2011).The material from different Svalbard localities, assigned to P. longifolium and P. jaegeri by Vasilevskaya (1972) together with additional material from the NRM collections, could confidently be identified as P. filicoides , even though epidermal details from the Svalbard material are unavailable. The specimens are identical to examples from the Carnian flora of Lunz ( Pott et al. 2007f). Pterophyllum filicoides occurs with two other congeneric species in the Svalbard assemblages, i.e., P. brevipenne , which is also known from the Lunz flora, and P. firmifolium , which is known, e.g., from the Carnian of China and Kyrgyzstan ( Wu et al. 1980; Moisan et al. 2011). Both are distinguished from P. filicoides by their shorter leaflets and, in P. brevipenne , the different shape of the apical leaflet. Epidermal details further support separation of these species ( Wu et al. 1980; Pott et al. 2007f), but are not known for the Svalbard material. Of the material published by Vasilevskaya (1972), I include all specimens published under Pterophyllum jaegeri , P. longifolium , and Pterophyllum sp. in P. filicoides except for one specimen that is transferred to P. firmifolium (see below).

The material reported by Vasilevskaya (1983) from Hopen as Pterophyllum jaegeri and P. longifolium is clearly conspecific with all other material from Svalbard assigned to P. filicoides . In addition, Vasilevskaya (1983) was able to isolate and figure cuticle from the Hopen specimens. The epidermal details match very well with the cuticles of P. filicoides reported from Lunz ( Pott et al. 2007f) and thus support the identification made here. Vasilevskaya (1983) assigned two specimens that appear to be counterparts (i.e.,? VSEGEI 12/12163, 14/12163) with strong reservation to Pterophyllum or Pseudoctenis (? VSEGEI 12/12163) and to Pseudoctenis (? VSEGEI 14/12163), respectively. From the latter, cuticle was recovered. The cuticle, however, is almost identical to cuticle fragments figured for Pterophyllum filicoides from the Carnian of Neuewelt, Switzerland, by Pott et al. (2007f). In my opinion, assignment to Pseudoctenis is, therefore, not warranted and the specimens are here included in Pterophyllum filicoides as well. The cuticle of the only Pseudoctenis species thus far recorded from the Carnian, viz. Pseudoctenis cornelii Pott, Kerp, and Krings, 2007 , has distinctly undulate anticlinal cell walls ( Pott et al. 2007b) and strongly papillate stomata. Vasilevskaya (1983) mentioned two additional specimens from Iversenfjellet and Lyngefjellet on Hopen yielding Pterophyllum sp. foliage, but refrained from figuring them. No statement on these can thus be made.

Geographic and stratigraphic range.— Europe, Asia; Carnian.