Coniopteris
| Coniopteris | |
|---|---|
| |
| Coniopteris sp. from the Mecsek Coal Formation, Hungary, Hettangian | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Division: | Polypodiophyta |
| Class: | Polypodiopsida |
| Subclass: | Polypodiidae |
| Genus: | †Coniopteris Brongniart 1849 |
| Type species | |
| Coniopteris murrayana Brongniart 1835 | |
| Species | |
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| Synonyms | |
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Coniopteris is an extinct genus of Mesozoic fern leaves. It was widespread over both hemispheres during the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous, with over 130 species having been described.[1] Most species of Coniopteris probably had a herbaceous habit.[1] Coniopteris laciniata had tufts of leaves sprouting from intervals of a thin, creeping rhizome.[2] Coniopteris is traditionally assumed to have been a member of Dicksoniaceae (which are mostly tree ferns) or a close relative of Thyrsopteris. However, these affinites have been doubted by a number of authors. A 2020 cladistic analysis found it to be a stem group of Polypodiales, as many Coniopteris species share with these ferns vertically orientated and an incomplete annulus.[1] However, this feature is not preserved among many Coniopteris species, and several species from the Northern Hemisphere a complete and obliquely orientated annulus, suggesting a Cyatheales (to which Dicksoniaceae belongs) affinity for at least these species, though they are alternatively suggested to be close to the base of Cyatheales.[3] The genus is technically a junior synonym of the little used Polystichites, but was conserved by the ICZN in 2013.[4] Some authors suggest a range of Early Jurassic-early Late Cretaceous for the genus,[1] while others suggest a more expansive range spanning from the Middle Triassic to the Eocene.[5]
References
- ^ a b c d Li, Chunxiang; Miao, Xinyuan; Zhang, Li-Bing; Ma, Junye; Hao, Jiasheng (January 2020). "Re-evaluation of the systematic position of the Jurassic–Early Cretaceous fern genus Coniopteris". Cretaceous Research. 105: 104136. Bibcode:2020CrRes.10504136L. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2019.04.007. S2CID 146355798.
- ^ Blanco-Moreno, Candela; Buscalioni, Ángela D. (2023-04-08). "Revision of the Barremian fern Coniopteris laciniata from Las Hoyas and El Montsec (Spain): Highlighting its importance in the evolution of vegetation during the Early Cretaceous". Taxon. 72 (3): 625–637. doi:10.1002/tax.12888. hdl:10486/707335. ISSN 0040-0262. S2CID 258044454.
- ^ Ramírez-Barahona, Santiago (2024-05-01). Warnock, Rachel; Zelditch, Miriam (eds.). "Incorporating fossils into the joint inference of phylogeny and biogeography of the tree fern order Cyatheales". Evolution. 78 (5): 919–933. doi:10.1093/evolut/qpae034. ISSN 0014-3820.
- ^ Doweld, Alexander B. (2013). "(2186) Proposal to conserve the name Coniopteris against Polystichites (fossil Pteridophyta, Protodicksoniales)". Taxon. 62 (4): 840. doi:10.12705/624.21. ISSN 1996-8175.
- ^ Trevisan, Cristine; Dutra, Tânia; Ianuzzi, Roberto; Sander, Andrea; Wilberger, Thièrs; Manríquez, Leslie Marcela Elizabeth; Mansilla, Héctor; Leppe, Marcelo (August 2022). "Coniopteris antarctica sp. nov. (Pteridophyta) and associated plant assemblage from the Upper Cretaceous of Rip Point, Nelson Island, Antarctica". Cretaceous Research. 136: 105185. Bibcode:2022CrRes.13605185T. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2022.105185. S2CID 247684239.