The genus Paliurus is characterized by its distinctive orbicular-winged fruits and a trilocular(or bilocular) ovary. Macrofossil records suggested this genus was distributed widely in North America, Europe, and Asia d...The genus Paliurus is characterized by its distinctive orbicular-winged fruits and a trilocular(or bilocular) ovary. Macrofossil records suggested this genus was distributed widely in North America, Europe, and Asia during the Paleogene and Neogene, before its present limitation to Eurasia. In this study, we describe some Paliurus fossil winged fruits from the lower part of Youganwo Formation(middle Eocene) and Huangniuling Formation(late Eocene) of the Maoming Basin, South China. These fruits are recognized as Paliurus favonii Unger based on a detailed study on the fossil morphology and cuticle characteristics. This represents the earliest occurrence of Paliurus fossil fruits in eastern Asia, and to date is the world's lowest latitude appearance for this genus. The most ancient records of Paliurus throughout the world are from the middle Eocene of North America and the late Eocene of Japan, leading some researchers to conclude the Paliurus may have originated in North America. Molecular data, however, do not support this hypothesis. The present Paliurus fossil fruits provide new evidence for the origin and phytogeographic history of this genus.展开更多
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 the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.41210001)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities+2 种基金the Guangdong Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.10151027501000020)the Key Project of Sun Yat-sen University for inviting foreign teachersthe Scientific Research Fund,Hongda Zhang,Sun Yat-sen University
文摘The genus Paliurus is characterized by its distinctive orbicular-winged fruits and a trilocular(or bilocular) ovary. Macrofossil records suggested this genus was distributed widely in North America, Europe, and Asia during the Paleogene and Neogene, before its present limitation to Eurasia. In this study, we describe some Paliurus fossil winged fruits from the lower part of Youganwo Formation(middle Eocene) and Huangniuling Formation(late Eocene) of the Maoming Basin, South China. These fruits are recognized as Paliurus favonii Unger based on a detailed study on the fossil morphology and cuticle characteristics. This represents the earliest occurrence of Paliurus fossil fruits in eastern Asia, and to date is the world's lowest latitude appearance for this genus. The most ancient records of Paliurus throughout the world are from the middle Eocene of North America and the late Eocene of Japan, leading some researchers to conclude the Paliurus may have originated in North America. Molecular data, however, do not support this hypothesis. The present Paliurus fossil fruits provide new evidence for the origin and phytogeographic history of this genus.
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.
