Pilunsporites un nuevo género de espora cretácica de Patagonia

Abstract

Pilunsporites, a new genus of a cretaceous spore from Patagonia. The new early cretaceous genus Pilunsporites is established for trilete spores found exclusively in a restricted area of the Austral Basin in the Patagonian offshore. The spores have a robust equatorial cingulum that thickens at the three angles to form a solid auriculate hemisphaeric structure. The proximal ornament consists of triangular muri or solid pads that bear sporadical verrucae. The distal ornament is verrucate, rugulate or has few anastomosed muri. A perisporium layer is often present. The three species described, Pilunsporites muratus n. sp., P. rugulatus n. sp and P. verrucatus n. sp., partly share characters with putative pteridaceous spores, and most likely are related to this fern family. The restricted geographic and stratigraphic range of Pilunsporites underscores its endemic nature and further supports the large variety that ferns attained in Patagonia during the Early Cretaceous.