A new specimen of Araucaria fricii from the early Coniacian of the Bohemian Massif, Central Europe
Abstract
A specimen of Araucaria fricii is described from the upper part of the Teplice Formation in the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin. It extends the first occurrence of A. fricii from the mid-Coniacian back to the early Coniacian. Found in the Radovesice locality near Kučlín in the northern part of the Czech Republic, it is characterised by a deltoid cone scale complex with a centrally placed seed. It is compared to the type material of A. fricii from the mid-Coniacian Březno Formation and other European Cretaceous species of Araucaria. The taphonomy and palaeoecology of A. fricii is briefly discussed.