Modern palms are diverse and widespread in the tropics and subtropics,especially the tropical rainforests.However,most fossil palm records have been reported from regions of relatively higher latitude.In this paper se...Modern palms are diverse and widespread in the tropics and subtropics,especially the tropical rainforests.However,most fossil palm records have been reported from regions of relatively higher latitude.In this paper seven species of coryphoid palm from the Eocene Changchang Basin of Hainan Island of South China are reported.These are Sabalites asymmetricus sp.nov.,S.robustus sp.nov.,S.tenufolius sp.nov.,S.szei Guo,S.changchagnensis Guo,Livistona sp.,and Amesoneuron sp.According to leaf morphological characteristics,they can be classified as members of the subfamily Coryphoideae.In extant flora of Hainan Island,only three species of Livistona have costapalmate leaves.These palm fossils indicate that,during the Eocene,flora in Hainan Island included a diversity of coryphoid palms,which have some bearings on the reconstruction of the palaeoclimate of South China.展开更多
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.41210001,31070200and40972011)National Basic Research Program of China(Grant No.2012CB822003)+2 种基金State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy(Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology,CAS)(Grant No.123110)Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(Grant No.12LGJC04)Key Project of Sun Yat-sen University for inviting foreign teachers and the Scientific Research Fund,Hongda Zhang,Sun Yat-sen University
文摘Modern palms are diverse and widespread in the tropics and subtropics,especially the tropical rainforests.However,most fossil palm records have been reported from regions of relatively higher latitude.In this paper seven species of coryphoid palm from the Eocene Changchang Basin of Hainan Island of South China are reported.These are Sabalites asymmetricus sp.nov.,S.robustus sp.nov.,S.tenufolius sp.nov.,S.szei Guo,S.changchagnensis Guo,Livistona sp.,and Amesoneuron sp.According to leaf morphological characteristics,they can be classified as members of the subfamily Coryphoideae.In extant flora of Hainan Island,only three species of Livistona have costapalmate leaves.These palm fossils indicate that,during the Eocene,flora in Hainan Island included a diversity of coryphoid palms,which have some bearings on the reconstruction of the palaeoclimate of South China.