Canrightia sp.

Friis, Else Marie, Crane, Peter R., Pedersen, Kaj Raunsgaard, Mendes, Mário Miguel & Kvaček, Jiří, 2022, The Early Cretaceous Mesofossil Flora Of Catefica, Portugal: Angiosperms, Fossil Imprint 78 (2), pp. 341-424 : 349

Canrightia sp.

Text-fig. 5a, b

Description and remarks. A single isolated seed that closely resembles isolated seeds of Canrightia foveolata in general morphology (above) is not assigned to any of the species of Canrightia . The seed is broadly elliptical in shape, about 1.05 mm long and 0.75 mm wide, with a slightly pointed micropylar region and a rounded chalazal region. One face is flattened and the opposite face is slightly convex ( Text-fig. 5a ). The chalaza protrudes slightly towards the flattened face ( Text-fig. 5a ). The flattened surface suggests that the seed is from a two-seeded fruit similar to that of Canrightia foveolata . The outer tissues of the seed coat and fruit wall are abraded and the exposed part of the seed is the hard, finely crystalliferous, endotesta. The surface of the endotesta is pitted with many larger pits arranged in about 20 shallow, longitudinal rows and also by smaller cavities formed by angular crystals ( Text-fig. 5a, b ). There is no information on internal features.

Affinity and other occurrences. The seed is assigned to Canrightia based on its close similarity to C. foveolata . Both have one flattened face, prominent pits arranged in longitudinal rows on the outer surface, and a distinctly crystalliferous endotesta. However, the seed of Canrightia sp. is larger than that of C. foveolata and also has the pits arranged in fewer longitudinal rows (about 20 in Canrightia sp. compared to more than 30 in C. foveolata ). Similar seeds have not yet been encountered in other Early Cretaceous mesofossil floras from Portugal.

Figures

Text-fig. 5. Scanning electron microscope images of the seed of Canrightia sp.; Catefica locality, Portugal. a) Seed in ventral view showing the slightly protruding chalaza (ch) at the apex, pointed micropyle (mi) at the base and pitted surface of the endotesta; b) Detail of endotesta surface showing larger pits in longitudinal rows and the finer pits created by crystals in the cells of the endotesta. Specimen, Catefica MM158-P0289 (a, b). Scale bars = 300 Μm (a), 100 Μm (b).