Paratatarina ptchelinae Vasilevskaya 1972: 44 Paratatarina spetsbergensis Vasilevskaya 1972: 44 Paratatarina sp. Vasilevskaya 1972: 46 Paratatarina korchinskae Vasilevskaya 1983: 145 The Upper Triassic flora of Svalbard Pott, Christian Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 2014 2012-10-23 59 3 709 740 Vasilevskaya 1972 [98,265,758,786] Paratatarina 13 721 genus   1972  Paratatarina ptchelinae;  Vasilevskaya 1972: 44, pls. 6: 5–8; 7: 1–5; 8: 1–6.  1972  Paratatarina spetsbergensis;  Vasilevskaya 1972: 44, pls. 9: 1a, 2–5, 6a, 7; 10: 1a, 2–9; 16: 2b; 17: 3c.  1972  Paratatarinasp.;  Vasilevskaya 1972: 46, pl. 11: 1–7.  1983  Paratatarina korchinskae;  Vasilevskaya 1983: 145, pls. 1: 3–5; 2: 1–3; 3: 1, 2.   Material.—Spitsbergen: Bertilryggen ( NRMS080252, S080253); Fleur de Lyshamna ( NRMS080080–S080085, S080095–S080102); Hyrnefjellet ( VSEGEI10979-26, 10979-28, 10979-40–10979-49, 10979-76, 10979-90, 10979-91); Wimanfjellet ( VSEGEI10979-12); Trehøgdene NRMS151684); Teistberget ( VSEGEI10979-03). Barentsøya: Schweinfurthberget ( VSEGEI10979-54). Edgeøya: Kapp Lee ( NRMS080187, S080188, S080191, S080193, S080197–S080199, S080202–S080206, S080208, S080210, S080212, S080216, S080218, S080223, S080229, S080232, S080235, S080236, S080238–S080240; VSEGEI10979- 24, 10979-25, 10979-50–10979-53, 10979-92, 10979-93); Kapp Pechuel Lösche/Lindemanberget ( VSEGEI10979- 37–10979-39). Hopen: Kollerfjellet (? VSEGEI3/12163– 9/12163). Carnian (Upper Triassic).  Description.— Paratatarina ptchelinaeis characterised by long, slender, fusiform leaves (e.g., Fig. 5B 2, J–L) whose largest representative is 291 mmlong and 28 mmwide, but typical leaves only reach 150–200 mmlong and 20 mmwide. The lamina tapers straight towards the base and the apex reaching its full width only in the middle fifth of the leaf (e.g., Fig. 5J). The leaf base is typically less than 4 mmwide (Fig. 5D, G). Leaf apices are acute and most are finely pointed (Fig. 5A, B 1, F 1, K); the lamina appears slightly frayed towards the leaf apex in most specimens. This may point to a very delicate lamina between the veins. Leaves are usually preserved with a slightly curved midvein and lamina (Fig. 5A, F 2, G). The central midvein (Fig. 5G, O) gives off fine secondary veins at regular intervals and at acute angles <15° (usually 4–10°), vein density is up to 20 veins/cm. Epidermal details are known from the typespecimen ( Vasilevskaya 1972) and from  P. korchinskae Vasilevskaya, 1983( Vasilevskaya 1983). The latter is here also regarded to be conspecific with  P. ptchelinae(see Vasilevskaya 1972, 1983, for details). A few specimens from the NRMcollections provided cuticles serving at least for comparison and a rough description. Both abaxial and adaxial cuticles appear to be identical with one of both being slightly more strongly cutinised. Cuticles are robust; costal and intercostal fields are well distinguished; cells over the veins are elongate and slender, pointed, and arranged in rows parallel to the vein course; cells of intercostal fields are typically isodiametric or, in rare cases, slightly elongate, usually trapezoid and unordered, they are of similar shape to the subsidiary cells of the stomata but less cutinised; stomata are scattered at regular distances along one or two rows in the intercostal fields, surrounded by a ring of typically five (rarely four or six) trapezoid subsidiary cells that are more strongly cutinised than the surrounding epidermal cells. Each subsidiary cell cuticle is thickened towards the pit mouth and extends into a single solid papilla overarching the pit. Guard cells are deeply sunken but barely preserved. Anticlinal cell walls are straight with no ornamentation; in some specimens, periclinal cell walls show central cuticular thickenings (cf. Vasilevskaya 1972).  Remarks.—Some of the leaves here assigned to  Paratatarina ptchelinaeshow almost parallel leaf margins as opposed to the tapering lamina in most specimens, and others have an acutely rounded apex as opposed to the pointed apex in most specimens. Attempts to sort the leaves into different “groups” based on lamina shape failed and thus, all are considered conspecific.No separation between leaves assigned to  Paratatarina ptchelinae,  P. spetsbergensisand  Paratatarinasp.from Schweinfurthberget by Vasilevskaya (1972)could be achieved, and thus, the latter are here considered conspecific with  P. ptchelinae. Vasilevskaya (1972)separated  P. ptchelinaeonly by the presence of epidermal details from  P. spetsbergensis. However, all specimens are macromorpho- Fig. 5. Pteridosperm  Paratatarina  ptchelinae Vasilevskaya, 1972from the Carnian (Upper Triassic) strata of Svalbard. A. VSEGEI10979-45, from →Hyrnefjellet. B. NRMS080239-01, from Kapp Lee, different leaves on same specimen (B 1, B 2). C. VSEGEI10979-48, from Hyrnefjellet. D. VSEGEI10979-28, from Hyrnefjellet, note the slender leaf base (arrowhead). E. NRMS080236-01, from Kapp Lee. F. VSEGEI10979-42 from Hyrnefjellet F 1), detail of venation (F 2). G. VSEGEI4/12163, from Kollerfjellet, cf. Vasilevskaya (1983: pl. 1: 4), note slender leaf base and midvein (arrowheads).  H. VSEGEI10979-54, from Schweinfurthberget. I. NRMS080082, from Fleur de Lyshamna, below the  Pterophyllumlayer. J. NRMS080080, from Fleur de Lyshamna, below the  Pterophyllumlayer. K. NRMS080102, from Fleur de Lyshamna, below the  Pterophyllumlayer, two different light angles (K 1, K 2) to highlight venation (arrowheads). L. NRMS080253, from Bertilryggen, note the rounded apex (arrowhead). M. NRMS080205-01, from Kapp Lee.   N. VSEGEI 10979-40, from Hyrnefjellet. O. VSEGEI 10979-49, from Hyrnefjellet, midvein arrowed. Scale bars 10 mm. logically very similar and epidermal details documented for  P. spetsbergensisreveal that the differences are minor and likely represent environmentally influenced variations.  Paratatarina ptchelinaeis comparatively common in the Upper Triassic flora from Svalbardand has been found at several localities. It is a very distinctive species and can only be mistaken for  Arberophyllumspecies(see below). One specimen, identified as that illustrated in Vasilevskaya (1983: pl. 1: 4;  Paratatarina korchinskae), has an epidermal anatomy very similar to leaves of  P. spetsbergensis. Thus,  P. korchinskaeis here also regarded as conspecific with  P. ptchelinae. Leaves occurring in a separate layer that was termed “un- der Pteropyllum-lagret” [“below the  Pterophyllumlayer”] by Alfred G. Nathorst and Johan G. Andersson when they collected the specimens at Fleur de Lyshamna (e.g., Fig. 5I– K) are here also assigned to  Paratatarina ptchelinaebased on macromorphological agreement (specimens S080080– S080085, S080095–S080102).  Geographic and stratigraphic range.— Svalbard; Carnian.