Jiří Kvaček
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.
Key words
conifers, Araucariaceae, Araucaria, Cretaceous, ConiacianPlant mesofossils from the Late Cretaceous Klikov Formation, the Czech Republic
Abstract
Late Cretaceous mesofossils are described from the Zliv-Řídká Blana locality in the South Bohemian Basins, the Czech Republic. Angiosperm remains dominate the fossil assemblage both in terms of taxonomic diversity and quantitatively, with about 65 different species based on about 1,000 specimens of flowers, fruits and seeds. There are surprisingly few nonangiosperm species in the flora, with only four specimens assigned to bryophytes, ferns and conifers. There are no megaspores of Selaginellales or Salviniales, which are otherwise common in many Cretaceous mesofossil floras. Among angiosperms, flowers and fruits assigned to the Normapolles group (Fagales) and to the Ericales are particularly prominent. In systematic composition as well as general organization and size of the angiosperm reproductive organs, the Zliv-Řídká Blana mesofossil flora is comparable to other Late Cretaceous mesofossil floras collected from various regions of Laurasia. In addition to the plant remains, the fossil assemblage also includes insect eggs and coprolites.
Key words
angiosperms, fossil fruits, fossil seeds, fossil flowers, Late Cretaceous, mesofossils, Klikov FormationTwo cycads Nilssonia mirovanae sp. nov. and Pseudoctenis babinensis J.Kvaček from the Cenomanian of the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin (the Czech Republic) as indicators of water stress in the palaeoenvironment
Abstract
Nilssonia mirovanae sp. nov. is described from the Late Cretaceous Cenomanian of the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin. It comes from the best-exposed portion of the Peruc-Korycany Formation, in the Pecínov quarry, west of Prague, the Czech Republic. Although preserved only as a fragment of a pinna, it clearly shows haplocheilic stomata. In this paper, we compare N. mirovanae with Pseudoctenis babinensis J.Kvaček from the same horizon. These two cycads have similar adaptations for surviving water stress: thick cuticles and sunken stomata, characteristic features among gymnosperms indicating adaptation to xeromorphic plants, cuticle analysis, Late Cretaceousdrought.
Key words
xeromorphic plants, cuticle analysis, Late CretaceousPreliminary revision of the palynological collection of Professor Blanka Pacltová – a significant collection of Cenomanian microflora housed at the National Museum, Prague
Abstract
A preliminary revision of the palynological collection of Professor Blanka Pacltová was carried out considering samples from the middle Cenomanian of the Peruc-Korycany Formation, the basal most member of the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin (the Czech Republic). This collection is mainly composed of slides with palynological residues for light microscope study, which were mounted in the 1960s and 1970s. This work presents an evaluation of the state of preservation of this collection, taking into account the presence of ancient angiosperm pollen types. High percentage of preparations is affected by degradation of glycerine jelly and their remounting is necessary. The present study additionally suggests a methodology for curation of this collection with the objective of long-term preservation.
Key words
palynological collection, Blanka Pacltová, curation, angiosperm pollen types, early Cenomanian, Bohemian Cretaceous Basin, the Czech RepublicPlant diversity of the mid Silurian (lower Wenlock, Sheinwoodian) terrestrial vegetation preserved in marine sediments from the Barrandian area, the Czech Republic
Some conifers from the Early Cretaceous (late Aptian – early Albian) of Catefica, Lusitanian Basin, western Portugal
International conference celebrating Zlatko Kvaček’s contribution to palaeobotany
Stutzeliastrobus bohemicus comb. nov. – basal Cupressaceae conifer from the Cenomanian of the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin, Central Europe
The Krasser collection in the Faculty of Sciences, Charles University, Prague – new insights into the Middle Jurassic flora of Sardinia
Revision of Cenomanian flora from the Maletín Sandstone
Marattiopsis vodrazkae sp. nov. (Marattiaceae) from the Campanian of the Hidden Lake Formation, James Ross Island, Antarctica
Abstract
A new fossil eusporangiate fern Marattiopsis vodrazkae J. Kvaček, sp. nov. has been recovered from the Hidden Lake Formation, the Campanian of James Ross Island, Antarctica. Its fertile and sterile pinnules are described and compared to the other species of the fossil genus Marattiopsis Schimper and the living genera Marattia, Ptisana and Eupodium (Marattiaceae). In contrast to the other species of the genus Marattiopsis, M. vodrazkae is characterised by stalked synangia, a smaller number of sporangia per synangium, generally small sized pinnules, and the absence of venuli recurrentes. It shows a mosaic of characters present in the living Marattiaceae: it shares stalked sporangia with the genus Eupodium and some species of Marattia and exhibits a suture (an abscission scar at pinnule bases), a character typical for the genus Ptisana. Additionally, M. vodrazkae provides important palaeoenvironmental signals for climate reconstructions, arguing for warm (paratropical to warm-temperate) and humid climatic conditions on the Antarctic Peninsula and adjacent volcanic islands during the Campanian.