Lodevia nicklesii ( Zeiller, 1898 ), 1988

Boyarina, Natalya, 2010, Late Gzhelian pteridosperms with callipterid foliage of the Donets Basin, Ukraine, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 55 (2), pp. 343-359 : 350

Lodevia nicklesii ( Zeiller, 1898) , Haubold and Kerp, 1988

Figs. 6, 7A, B, E.

1898 Callipteris “nikclesi” sp. nov.; Zeiller 1898: 46, pl. 4: 2–4. 1988 Lodevia nicklesii ( Zeiller, 1898) ; Kerp and Haubold 1988: 146,

147.

Material.— A portion of the upper part of the frond— SNM PMC 2216/46; a portion of the middle part of the frond— SNM PMC 2216/63; four fragments of penultimate order pinnae— SNM PMC 2216/34, SNM PMC 2216/44, SNM PMC 2216/48 and SNM PMC 2216/ 61 in association with an isolated seed; 32 fragments of ultimate order pinnae, figured are SNM PMC 2216/40, SNM PMC 2216/44, SNM PMC 2216/50, SNM PMC 2216/53 SNM PMC 2216/73.

Description.—The frond fragments show the bifurcation of the primary rachis and the two−parted blade ( Fig. 6B, G). The primary rachis is weakly ribbed and longitudinally striated, up to 4 mm wide ( Fig. 6G), and bears pinnae with entire−margined to slightly lobed pinnules below the bifurcation and ends in two penultimate order axes being 2.5 mm wide. The penultimate order pinnae bear stronger developed ultimate order pinnae on the external than on internal side ( Fig. 6B, C, D) and show the overtopping of the axis ( Fig. 6C, E). Pinnules are ovate to oblong, decurrent. They vary in length from 10 mm to 24 mm and display increasing segmentation relatively to increasing of their size, viz., the pinnules, up to 10–13 mm long, are lobed and attached to the axes, up to 1.5 mm wide ( Figs. 6A–H, 7B); the pinnules, up to 14–24 mm, are incised into seven to nine segments and attached to the axes with a width of 2.5–3 mm ( Figs. 6H, 7A, E). The segments are wedge−shaped, obtuse or with a crenulate apex. The midvein is more or less pronounced, decurrent, usually running to 1/2 pinnule length. The lateral veins are thin, usually bifurcating up to 1–2 times near the midvein. The seed found in association with the foliage is flattened, small, 5 mm long and 3.5 wide, oval ( Fig. 6G).

Stratigraphic and geographic range.—Upper Stephanian (Upper Carboniferous) and Autunian (Lower Permian) of Europe.