Abstract
Cunoniaceae are important elements of rainforests across the Southern Hemisphere. Many of these flowering plants are considered Paleo-Antarctic Rainforest Lineages that had a Gondwanan distribution since the Paleocene. Fossils of several modern genera within the family, such as Ceratopetalum, have indicated biogeographical connections between South America and Australia in the Cenozoic. Here, we report a dramatic geographical range extension for Ceratopetalum, and Cunoniaceae as a whole, based on two exceptionally preserved fossil winged fruits from Campanian (c. 82-80 Ma old) deposits on Sucia Island, Washington, USA. The fossils were studied using physical sectioning, light microscopy, micro-computed tomography scanning and multiple phylogenetic analyses. The fossil fruits share diagnostic characters with Ceratopetalum such as the presence of four to five persistent calyx lobes, a prominent nectary disk, persistent stamens, a semi-inferior ovary and two persistent styles. Based on morphological comparisons with fruits of extant species and support from phylogenetic analyses, the fossils are assigned to a new species Ceratopetalum suciensis. These fossils are the first unequivocal evidence of crown Cunoniaceae from the Cretaceous of North America, indicating a more complicated biogeographical history for this important Gondwanan family.
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Claims 5
Claim · model-written summary
Two fossil winged fruits extend the geographical range of Cunoniaceae and Ceratopetalum to Sucia Island, Washington.
- Taxon
- CunoniaceaeCunoniaceaee3
- Material
- fossil winged fruitse1
- Outcome
- geographical range extensione1
- Setting
- Sucia Island, Washington, USAe2
Verbatim
e1“we report a dramatic geographical range extension for Ceratopetalum, and Cunoniaceae as a whole, based on two exceptionally preserved fossil winged fruits from Campanian”
e2“deposits on Sucia Island, Washington, USA”
e3“Cunoniaceae are important elements of rainforests across the Southern Hemisphere”
Claim · model-written summary
The fossils are the first unequivocal evidence of crown Cunoniaceae from the Cretaceous of North America.
- Taxon
- CunoniaceaeCunoniaceaee2
- Outcome
- evidence of crown Cunoniaceaee1
- Qualifier
- first unequivocale1
- Setting
- Cretaceous of North Americae1
Verbatim
e1“These fossils are the first unequivocal evidence of crown Cunoniaceae from the Cretaceous of North America”
e2“Cunoniaceae are important elements of rainforests across the Southern Hemisphere”
Claim · model-written summary
The fossil fruits are assigned to a new species, Ceratopetalum suciensis.
Verbatim
e1“the fossils are assigned to a new species Ceratopetalum suciensis”
Claim · model-written summary
Fossil fruits share diagnostic characters with Ceratopetalum, including four to five persistent calyx lobes.
- Taxon
- Ceratopetalum
Ceratopetalume1 - Material
- fossil fruitse1
- Outcome
- diagnostic characterse1
- Qualifier
- the presence of four to five persistent calyx lobese1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“The fossil fruits share diagnostic characters with Ceratopetalum such as the presence of four to five persistent calyx lobes”
Claim · model-written summary
The Cunoniaceae fossils indicate a more complicated biogeographical history for the family.
- Taxon
- CunoniaceaeCunoniaceaee2
- Outcome
- biogeographical historye1
- Qualifier
- more complicatede1
Verbatim
e1“indicating a more complicated biogeographical history for this important Gondwanan family”
e2“Cunoniaceae are important elements of rainforests across the Southern Hemisphere”