Douropteris alvarezii gen. nov., sp. nov., a new medullosalean pteridosperm from the Late Pennsylvanian of Portugal

Abstract

A new plant fossil‐genus, Douropteris alvarezii gen. nov., sp. nov., is described from the Douro Basin (lower Stephanian C [lower Gzhelian], Upper Pennsylvanian) in north‐western Portugal. Douropteris alvarezii has a remarkable morphology characterized by an unusual combination of features seen in several different fossil‐genera belonging to ferns and pteridosperms. Its unique and distinguishing features place it nearest to the medullosalean pteridosperms Margaritopteris and Callipteridium, suggesting close affinities with the fossil‐family Cyclopteridaceae. Morphologically, Margaritopteris is the closest relative with basis on the strong resemblance to the veining pattern of Douropteris gen. nov. Here, Douropteris represents a potential “Lazarus taxon” or evolutionary descendant from the Margaritopteris lineage.

Effects of Magmatic Fluids in Coals of São Pedro da Cova Coalfield, Douro Carboniferous Basin, Portugal: Insights from Inorganic Geochemistry

“…The main geological context is depicted in Figure 1. The Douro Carboniferous Basin was dated from the Gzhelian (lower Stephanian C) based on its flora (herein [8][9][10][11][12]) and fauna, e.g., [6,7,13,14]. The coal exploitation in the DCB is reported from the end of XVIII century, beginning at the São Pedro da Cova Coalfield.…”

“…The São Pedro da Cova Coalfield is part of the Douro Carboniferous Basin (DCB), the most important coal-bearing basin in Portugal, and has been, since the early 1990s, the focus of several geological studies with emphasis on tectono-stratigraphic development, e.g., [1][2][3][4][5], paleobotany, e.g., [6][7][8][9][10][11][12], paleozoology, e.g., [6,7,[13][14][15][16], organic petrology and physical parameters of the coals, e.g., [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25], and coal exploration and its environmental impacts (e.g., [26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36]).…”