Coryphoid Palm Leaf Fossils from the Maastrichtian–Danian of Central India with Remarks on Phytogeography of the Coryphoideae (Arecaceae)

Srivastava, Ragini; Srivastava, Gaurav; Dilcher, David L.

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0111738

“…Srivastava et al . ( 39 ) reported a similar type of coryphoid palm from the late Maastrichtian-Danian sediments of Deccan Intertrappean beds of central India, but their fossil bears a long costa and fused leaf segments as distinct from our Tibetan fossil leaf. Therefore, in the absence of any similar leaves, we proposed the new species S. tibetensis T. Su et Z.K.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 79%

No high Tibetan Plateau until the Neogene

Su

¹

,

Farnsworth

²

,

Spicer

³

et al. 2019

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The Late Paleogene surface height and paleoenvironment for the core area of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) remain critically unresolved. Here, we report the discovery of the youngest well-preserved fossil palm leaves from Tibet. They were recovered from the Late Paleogene (Chattian), ca. 25.5 ± 0.5 million years, paleolake sediments within the Lunpola Basin (32.033°N, 89.767°E), central QTP at a present elevation of 4655 m. The anatomy of palms renders them intrinsically susceptible to freezing, imposing upper bounds on their latitudinal and altitudinal distribution. Combined with model-determined paleoterrestrial lapse rates, this shows that a high plateau cannot have existed in the core of Tibet in the Paleogene. Instead, a deep paleovalley, whose floor was <2.3 km above mean sea level bounded by (>4 km) high mountain systems, formed a topographically highly varied landscape. This finding challenges prevailing views on tectonic processes, monsoon dynamics, and the evolution of Asian biodiversity.

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“…[78, 89]. Bauhinia and Bauhinia -like fossils previously reported from the early Paleocene to Miocene of Europe [90–95] have been either rejected or transferred to other groups [30].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bilobate leaves of Bauhinia (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae, Cercideae) from the middle Miocene of Fujian Province, southeastern China and their biogeographic implications

Lin

¹

,

Wong

²

,

Shi

³

et al. 2015

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BackgroundMorphological and molecular phylogenetic studies suggest that the pantropical genus Bauhinia L. s.l. (Bauhiniinae, Cercideae, Leguminosae) is paraphyletic and may as well be subdivided into nine genera, including Bauhinia L. s.s. and its allies. Their leaves are usually characteristic bilobate and are thus easily recognized in the fossil record. This provides the opportunity to understand the early evolution, diversification, and biogeographic history of orchid trees from an historical perspective under the framework of morphological and molecular studies.ResultsThe taxonomy, distribution, and leaf architecture of Bauhinia and its allies across the world are summarized in detail, which formed the basis for classifying the bilobate leaf fossils and evaluating the fossil record and biogeography of Bauhinia. Two species of Bauhinia are described from the middle Miocene Fotan Group of Fujian Province, southeastern China. Bauhinia ungulatoides sp. nov. is characterized by shallowly to moderately bilobate, pulvinate leaves with shallowly cordate bases and acute apices on each lobe, as well as paracytic stomatal complexes. Bauhinia fotana F.M.B. Jacques et al. emend. possesses moderately bilobate, pulvinate leaves with moderately to deeply cordate bases and acute or slightly obtuse apices on each lobe.ConclusionsBilobate leaf fossils Bauhinia ungulatoides and B. fotana together with other late Paleogene – early Neogene Chinese record of the genus suggest that Bauhinia had been diverse in South China by the late Paleogene. Their great similarities to some species from South America and South Asia respectively imply that Bauhinia might have undergone extensive dispersals and diversification during or before the Miocene. The fossil record, extant species diversity, as well as molecular phylogenetic analyses demonstrate that the Bauhiniinae might have originated in the Paleogene of low-latitudes along the eastern Tethys Seaway. They dispersed southwards into Africa, migrated from Eurasia to North America via the North Atlantic Land Bridge or floating islands during the Oligocene. Then the genus spread into South America probably via the Isthmus of Panama since the Miocene onward, and underwent regional extinctions in the Boreotropics of mid-high-latitudes during the Neogene climatic cooling. Hence, Bauhinia presently exhibits a pantropical intercontinental disjunct distribution.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-015-0540-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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“…Similarly, a coryphoid palm leaf named Sabalites longirachis has been described from the early Campanian of Austria and Maastrichtian of the Pyrénées (23), and although it looks similar to our fossil, it has fused leaf segments, which is a major difference. Srivastava et al (39) reported a similar type of coryphoid palm from the late Maastrichtian-Danian sediments of Deccan Intertrappean beds of central India, but their fossil bears a long costa and fused leaf segments as distinct from our Tibetan fossil leaf. Therefore, in the absence of any similar leaves, we proposed the new species S. tibetensis T. Su et Z.K.…”

Section: Morphological Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 63%

No High Tibetan Plateau Until the Neogene

Farnsworth¹,

Su²,

Spicer³

et al. 2018

Geological Society of America Abstracts With Programs

2

0

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The Late Paleogene surface height and paleoenvironment for the core area of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) remain critically unresolved. Here, we report the discovery of the youngest well-preserved fossil palm leaves from Tibet. They were recovered from the Late Paleogene (Chattian), ca. 25.5 ± 0.5 million years, paleolake sediments within the Lunpola Basin (32.033°N, 89.767°E), central QTP at a present elevation of 4655 m. The anatomy of palms renders them intrinsically susceptible to freezing, imposing upper bounds on their latitudinal and altitudinal distribution. Combined with model-determined paleoterrestrial lapse rates, this shows that a high plateau cannot have existed in the core of Tibet in the Paleogene. Instead, a deep paleovalley, whose floor was <2.3 km above mean sea level bounded by (>4 km) high mountain systems, formed a topographically highly varied landscape. This finding challenges prevailing views on tectonic processes, monsoon dynamics, and the evolution of Asian biodiversity.

show abstract

Coryphoid Palm Leaf Fossils from the Maastrichtian–Danian of Central India with Remarks on Phytogeography of the Coryphoideae (Arecaceae)

Cited by 31 publications

References 40 publications

No high Tibetan Plateau until the Neogene

No high Tibetan Plateau until the Neogene

Bilobate leaves of Bauhinia (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae, Cercideae) from the middle Miocene of Fujian Province, southeastern China and their biogeographic implications

No High Tibetan Plateau Until the Neogene

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