Fossil fern in the High Andes of Peru

[Pierre-Olivier Combelles]

Hi! French naturalist & ethnobiologist, I discovered this fossil fern in the 1990's when surveying the puna investigating Maca (Lepidium meyenii Walpers) and collecting actual Lepidium sp. (Brassicaceae) at the altitude of 4250 m, some km eastwards of Lake Junin, in the High Andes of Peru. The specimen was broken into two pieces, on the ground of the puna, some meters from each other. Lenght: 11 cm. Wide: 7 cm. As I am not paleobiologist unfortunately, please would you help me to identify it ? Carboniferous/Early Carboniferous ? Adiantites (lindseaeformis?) ? Esphenopteris ? I have found other fossils (there are a lot in this calcareous region, you can see on the 2nd picture ) and I shall post them next time. Many thanks in advance. All the best. 

 

Pierre-Olivier Combelles

Institut Andin d'Etudes Ethnobiologiques (France)

Edited February 19, 2017 by Pierre-Olivier Combelles

[abyssunder]

Welcome to the Forum!

 

As a non-specialist in the fossil flora domain I would just suppose that your nicely preserved specimen might belong to Adiantites/Cyclopteris/Noeggerathia line, maybe similar to Noeggerathia bockschiana Lesquereux, Noeggerathia obtusa Lesquereux. See illustrated descriptions here .

 

Wait for other opinions from the experts.

[Pierre-Olivier Combelles]

Thanks ! What nice plates ! Very similar indeed to  Noeggerathia obtusa plate XLIX, N°7. 

Warm greetings

Edited February 19, 2017 by Pierre-Olivier Combelles

[Pierre-Olivier Combelles]

Other picture of the same specimen. 

 

[Pierre-Olivier Combelles]

More informations:

http://bomarea.blogspot.fr/2017/02/une-fougere-fossile-du-carbonifere-dans.html

[EMP]

It is for sure an Adiantites type specimen. In fact, it looks remarkably similar to Adiantites I've found in the Pocono Group! 

 

This would make it likely a lower Carboniferous plant, though from what I can tell Adiantites does span a while. 

[Pierre-Olivier Combelles]

Thank you very much for your kind participation and very interesting information ! 

 

Pocono Group or Formation: 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocono_Formation

 

Would you show some pictures of yours specimens to make a comparison ?

 

Best regards

[Pierre-Olivier Combelles]

https://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/0263/report.pdf

[Pierre-Olivier Combelles]

Other and perhaps better picture of the same specimen:

[piranha]

From the UO paleobotanist:

 

"It is Nothorhacopteris argentinica, a calamopityacean also common in NSW.  I tried to collect some in Paracas, Peru in 1978, but could not quite find the spot."

 

 

taxonomic history from:

 

Archangelsky, S. (1983) 

Nothorhacopteris, a new generic name for some Carboniferous monopinnate fronds of Gondwanaland (= Rhacopteris ovata auct. and Pseudorhacopteris Rigby 1973).

Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 38(3-4):157-172

 

 

[doushantuo]

in spanish

[abyssunder]

Yup, pretty good match!

 

[FossilDAWG]

Great work y'all.

 

Don

[Pierre-Olivier Combelles]

[Pierre-Olivier Combelles]

 

Nothorhacopteris, a new generic name for some carboniferous monopinnate fronds of Gondwanaland (=Rhacopteris ovata auct. and Pseudorhacopteris rigby 1973)☆

Sergio Archangelsky. Author links open the author workspace.^{2. Numbers and letters correspond to the affiliation list. Click to expose these in author workspace}

National Research Council (CONICET), CIRGEO, J.R. Velasco 847, 1414 Buenos Aires, Argentina

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0034666783900210

 

also:

 

http://www.ameghiniana.org.ar/index.php/ameghiniana/article/view/2264

http://www.ameghiniana.org.ar/index.php/ameghiniana/article/view/1995

 

Who have/can read ?

 

y aqui también:

 

Los Helechos con Semillas : Un Enigma Gondwánico

http://www.cienciahoy.org.ar/ch/hoy47/hele04.htm

 

[Pierre-Olivier Combelles]

Another picture of my nice and delicate specimen. See how the leaflets overlap partially 

[Pierre-Olivier Combelles]

One precision. As I said, I found this specimen (broken in two pieces, various meters from each other) walking in a quebrada (little valley) of the puna, when surveying for a botanical investigation in 1997 the region of Lake Junin, over 4000m altitude. All this region is calcareous. There  are a lot of prehistoric caves (my photo below). I discovered many. Some have been investigated by John Ricks* (Stanford Univ.), other by Danielle Lavallée & Michèle Jullien** (CNRS,France). All are full of remains, lithic tools, animal bones etc. Walking in the immense and solitary puna, you can find stone arrow heads and a lot of things. Who found first this handsome fossil fern, looked at it and throwed it further on the ground of the puna before me, which is actually writing this post? Many people without a doubt: modern sheperds of sheep and llama, prehispanic sheperds of llama and alpaca before, and perhaps prehistoric hunters more before and during various millenaries...

As archaeologists know it well, the prehistoric hunters were great observers and collectors of curios ! For example, these calcite crystals I used to find among prehistoric lithic tools (photo below). Why not fossils ?

 

*https://web.stanford.edu/~johnrick/preceram/diggings.html

** https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telarmachay

[Pierre-Olivier Combelles]

Picture of the 2nd face

[abyssunder]

Thank you for the pictures. You have good eyes for finding fossils.

 

For your request here is Pedro R. Gutiérrez et al. 1995. PRESENCIA DE NOTHORHACOPTERIS ARGENTINICA (GEINITZ) ARCHANGELSKY EN LA FORMACION GUANDACOL (CARBONÍFERO), ARGENTINA. Ameghiniana, [S.l.], v. 32, n. 2, p. 169-172.

 

..................................

" Similar fronds referred to the genera Sphaenocyclopteridium, Adiantites, Cardiopteridium and Rhacopteris from the Tournaisian of France have been related to Lyginorachis and Kalymma petioles (Galtier, 1981). On this basis the subopposite, fan shaped pinnules having open dichotomous venation are considered to be pteridosperms while fern fronds of filicinean affinity are much slender, smaller and with pseudomonopodial venation. (...)

A new rhacopteroid frond bearing an apical cupulate structure, probably ovuliferous, has been found in the Carboniferous of Argentina and described as Austrocalyx. The vegetative part of the plant is comparable to Nothorhacopteris argentinica (Geinitz) Archangelsky, a frond that has a wide distribution in Gondwana. The other Carboniferous and Early Permian fronds referred to Nothorhacopteris may well have the same pteridospermous affinity.
The finding of pteridospermous isolated ovules, micro-sporangiate organs and cupulate structures in Carboniferous strata of South America is now strengthened by the discovery of A. jejenensis, suggesting that this group played an important role in Western Gondwana plant communities of that time. On the other hand, the possibility that paleoequatorial Carboniferous rhacopteroid fronds may represent pteridosperms (Galtier, 1981) is coherent with the morphology of Austrocalyx. " - Juan C. Vega, Sergio Archangelsky . Austrocalyx jejenensis Vega and Archangelsky, gen. et sp. nov., a cupulate rhacopteroid pteridosperm from the Carboniferous of Argentina. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 91(1996) 107-119

 

 

 

[Pierre-Olivier Combelles]

On 24/02/2017 at 0:12 AM, doushantuo said:

in spanish

Thank you very, very much! Muy interesante, great paper! Notorhacopteris argentinica very close/similar to my peruvian specimen. See p. 19 and p. 18 :

[Pierre-Olivier Combelles]

On 24/02/2017 at 0:08 AM, piranha said:

From the UO paleobotanist:

 

"It is Nothorhacopteris argentinica, a calamopityacean also common in NSW.  I tried to collect some in Paracas, Peru in 1978, but could not quite find the spot."

 

 

taxonomic history from:

 

Archangelsky, S. (1983) 

Nothorhacopteris, a new generic name for some Carboniferous monopinnate fronds of Gondwanaland (= Rhacopteris ovata auct. and Pseudorhacopteris Rigby 1973).

Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 38(3-4):157-172

 

 

 

Thank you very much Piranha for your kind and so useful information, because thanks to you, gracias a Usted, I think I am now on the good way! The Fossil Forum is a very friendly and efficient forum ! I feel happy to be here with you all! Merci ! Happy also to share with you through these pictures and by internet, a specimen I found only by luck and hazard when you were especially searching for it years before... 

[Pierre-Olivier Combelles]

Hi all. Somebody know if there are more general informations  upon Notorhacopteris argentinica and a representation/reconstitution of he whole plant in the books of the Australian Mary E. White ? 

 

http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/469672

 

Upon Notorhacopteris argentina in Australia:

 

The Carboniferous of the World

https://books.google.fr/books?isbn=8439856709 - Traduire cette page

Carlos Martínez Díaz, ‎Cornelis Frederik Winkler Prins, ‎Luis F. Granados - 1983 - ‎Geology, Stratigraphic

The Nothorhacopteris Flora of eastern Australia and South America is very ... of eastern Australia isNothorhacopteris argentinica (Ar- changelsky, 1983), a small ...

 

See 2 screnshots of this Google book upon N. arg. below:

 

[goatinformationist]

So many wonderful and knowledgeable comments from so many people.

 

Yer making me so proud.

[fossilized6s]

Beautiful plant. Congratulations. 

[Pierre-Olivier Combelles]

About this wonderful Lady, Mary E. White, a paleobotanist of Australia (born in South Africa) specialist of the Gondwana flora, video of his interview by Brett Dolsen here: 

 

https://brettdolsenphotography.wordpress.com/2013/11/03/dr-mary-e-white/