Mazon Creek Ferns

[holdinghistory]

I was looking over the Smithsonian collection of Mazon Creek ferns tonight (http://paleobiology.si.edu/mazoncreek/mazonGroups.html). It seems like most ferns are labeled as Pecopteris species, but that there are a number of very similar fern species. Is there a good reference that breaks down the different species and how to identify them? I have Richardson's guide, but that is just for the fauna.

 

Thanks!

 

[doushantuo]

Before this thread possibly gets inundated,a bit of possibly useful information:

[doushantuo]

Just foliar(leaf) anatomy?

[KimTexan]

Do you have this book?

 

It is a pretty decent book with lots of example of plant fossils from the area and their names.

@Nimravis May have some suggestions since he collects fossils there. He has some good posts on how to crack them and other stuff about Mazon fossils you may find of interest if you haven’t read them already.

[doushantuo]

Does anyone care about examples being peer-reviewed,BTW?

some Central European examples(same Euramerican paleoflora?)

(lowermost pic :Stephanian paleogeography form the link above)

 

from Zodrow's 2006 Acitheca revision:

 

 

In the days before there was a modicum of understanding of the confounding influences of taphonomy,ecology,paleogeography,and

phyto-/biostratigraphy suffered from a bit of regionalism,a lot of form taxa were erected.

Maybe there was even the influence of feeling the general need to develop an "economically useful" way of viewing plant taxonomy.

As i've said before,ultrastructural detail is very necessary to better delimit species

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[doushantuo]

Phillips,2005:

[doushantuo]

leaf traces in Osmundales(Bomfleur,PeerJ2017):

 

 

Jennings(1990)is probably in Fruitbat's Library

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[paleoflor]

The pecopterids are currently being actively revised, likely rendering older literature outdated w.r.t. scientific names. Probably @fiddlehead is your best source to point you to the relevant papers.

[doushantuo]

 

Thanks for the heads-up 

 

edit:

just to be clear on this: you're NOT talking about this one?

 

 

[Nimravis]

7 hours ago, paleoflor said:

The pecopterids are currently being actively revised, likely rendering older literature outdated w.r.t. scientific names. Probably @fiddlehead is your best source to point you to the relevant papers.

There have been a lot of books and publications put out on the Mazon Creek flora, but as @paleoflor stated above, @fiddlehead is your best bet for info. Here is the most recent book on the flora that I know of and it is by @fiddlehead- it is a great book to own, with great info and pictures. Hope this helps.

 

 

Here is his book on the Mazon Creek fauna- another great book to own.

 

[holdinghistory]

Thank you all! Just ordered Jack's book.

[Herb]

I believe that the Geological Surveys of Indiana, Illinois and Pennsylvania all have downloadable info/books on plant fossils for free