A new coryphoid costapalmate palm leaf from the Maastrichtian-Danian of India. Issue 2 (3rd April 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Roy, Kaustav; Hazra, Taposhi; Hazra, Manoshi; Mahato, Sumana; Bera, Subir; Khan, Mahasin Ali
• Is Part Of: Botany letters. Volume 168:Issue 2(2021)
• Page Start: 155
• Page End: 166
• Publication Date: 2021-04-03
• Subjects: Coryphoid palm leaf -- Sabalites -- Deccan Intertrappean beds -- Late Cretaceous-early Palaeocene -- Central India; Botany -- Periodicals; Botany; Botany; Electronic journals; Periodicals; Periodical; 580
• DOI: 10.1080/23818107.2020.1845974
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2381-8107

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Here, we describe a new impressed palm frond from the latest Maastrichtian (late Cretaceous)-earliest Danian (early Palaeocene) sediments of the Deccan Intertrappean beds of Madhya Pradesh, Central India. The diagnostic characters of the recovered fossil specimen are large palmate fan-shaped leaf with well-preserved long costa (costapalmate), plicate, connate leaf segments with prominent mid-vein emerging at an acute angle from costa and parallel secondary lateral veins on either side of mid-vein. The aforesaid leaf morphological features of the Cretaceous specimen suggest its resemblance with those of modern members of the fan palm sub-family Coryphoideae in the Arecaceae. We recognize it as a new species, Sabalites karondiensis Roy, Hazra T et Khan, sp. nov. The present-day distribution of the comparable modern form of above taxon indicates that coryphoid palms may prefer a warm and humid tropical environment during the deposition.