Biology:Umkomasia

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Short description: Extinct genus of seed ferns

Umkomasia
Temporal range: Early Triassic–Late Triassic
Umkomasia macleani.jpg
Umkomasia macleanii ovulate structure, Late Triassic, Molteno Formation, Umkomaas, South Africa.
Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Corystospermales
Family: Corystospermaceae
Genus: Umkomasia
Thomas 1933
Species

Umkomasia is a genus of seed bearing organs produced by corystosperm seed ferns, first based on fossils collected by Hamshaw Thomas from the Burnera Waterfall locality near the Umkomaas River of South Africa.[3] He recognized on the basis of cuticular similarities that the same plant produced pollen organs Pteruchus and the leaves Dicroidium. Various other corystosperm seed bearing organs from the Jurassic and Cretaceous have been assigned to this genus, but recently have been given distinct genera, with Umkomasia being restricted to the Triassic.[4]

Umkomasia macleanii reconstruction with pollen organs (Pteruchus africanus) and leaves (Dicroidium odontopteroides) from the Late Triassic, Molteno Formation of South Africa

Description

Umkomasia has helmet like cupules around ovules born in complex large branching structures.

Whole plant associations

Reassigned species

  • U. franconica Lower Jurassic, Germany, reassigned to the genus Kirchmuellia
  • U. asiatica Triassic, China reassigned to the genus Stenorachis
  • U. mongolica Lower Cretaceous, Mongolia, moved to the genus Doylea.

See also

  • Evolution of plants

References

  1. Gongle Shi; Andrew B. Leslie; Patrick S. Herendeen; Fabiany Herrera; Niiden Ichinnorov; Masamichi Takahashi; Patrick Knopf; Peter R. Crane (2016). "Early Cretaceous Umkomasia from Mongolia: implications for homology of corystosperm cupules". New Phytologist 210 (4): 1418–1429. doi:10.1111/nph.13871. PMID 26840646. 
  2. However, Rothwell & Stockey (2016) transferred this species to the genus Doylea. See: Gar W. Rothwell; Ruth A. Stockey (2016). "Phylogenetic diversification of Early Cretaceous seed plants: The compound seed cone of Doylea tetrahedrasperma". American Journal of Botany 103 (5): 923–937. doi:10.3732/ajb.1600030. PMID 27208360. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 Thomas, H.H. (1933). "On some pteridospermous plants from the Mesozoic rocks of South Africa". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 222 (483–493): 193–265. doi:10.1098/rstb.1932.0016. 
  4. Anderson, Heidi M.; Barbacka, Maria K.; Bamford, Marion K.; Holmes, W. B. Keith; Anderson, John M. (2019-01-02). "Umkomasia (megasporophyll): part 1 of a reassessment of Gondwana Triassic plant genera and a reclassification of some previously attributed" (in en). Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology 43 (1): 43–70. doi:10.1080/03115518.2018.1554748. ISSN 0311-5518. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03115518.2018.1554748. 
  5. Retallack G.J. (1977). "Reconstructing Triassic vegetation of southeastern Australia: a new approach to the biostratigraphy of Gondwanaland". Alcheringa 1: 247–265. doi:10.1080/03115517708527763. 
  6. Retallack, G.J.; Dilcher, D.L. (1988). "Reconstructions of selected seed ferns". Missouri Botanical Garden Annals 75 (3): 1010–1057. doi:10.2307/2399379. 

External links

Wikidata ☰ Q25095279 entry