Abstract

PANTI, Carolina; CESARI, Silvia N.; MARENSSI, Sergio A.  and  OLIVERO, Eduardo B.. A new araucarian fossil species from the Paleogene of southern Argentina. Ameghiniana [online]. 2007, vol.44, n.1, pp.215-222. ISSN 1851-8044.

A new Araucariaceaea from the Paleogene of Tierra del Fuego Province, Argentina is described. Araucaria pararaucana sp. nov. has imbricate, ovate-lanceolate leaves with an acute apex, characterized by the presence of discontinuous and longitudinally oriented stomatal rows separated by epidermal cells, which may be slightly sinuous. Stomatal guard cell surface is granular. These fossil leaves are compared with the extant sections Bunya, Intermedia and Araucaria. Their anatomical characters along with the external morphology suggest a close affinity with the extant southern Patagonian species A. araucana (Molina) K. Koch. The record of this new late Eocene species provides more evidence for a probable unique representation of Section Araucaria in the area during the Tertiary.

Keywords : Gymnosperms; Araucariaceae; Araucaria; Cuticle; Paleogene; Argentina.