Acitheca alii Zodrow, Šimůnek, C.J.Cleal, Bek et Pšenička

Plant Fossil Names Registry Number: PFN000322

Act LSID: urn:lsid:plantfossilnames.org:act:322

Authors: E. L. Zodrow, Z. Šimůnek, C. J. Cleal, J. Bek & J. Pšenička

Rank: species

Reference: Zodrow, E. L., Šimůnek, Z., Cleal, C. J., Bek, J. & Pšenička, J. (2006): Taxonomic revision of the Palaeozoic marattialean fern Acitheca Schimper. – Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 138(3–4): 239–280.

Page of description: 273

Illustrations or figures: fig. 10; pl. XV, figs 1–9

Types

Original diagnosis/description

Fertile and sterile pinnules elongate-suboval with a markedly obtuse apex and parallel margins. Lateral veins divide twice or three times before reaching margin; vein density 28 veins per 10mm along the pinnule margin. Pinnules hypostomatic, stomata 32μm long and 25μm wide, surrounded by polygonal subsidiary cell with straight anticlinal walls. Synangia with 4–5 sporangia, 2.2–3mm long and 0.4mm wide with acute apex. Mature trilete spores 58 (82) 89μm in size, with finely microverrucate to microgranulate exine (Plate XV, 7–9); rays of the trilete mark 1/2–2/3 of the spores radius.

Etymology

Named in honour of Dr Idris Ali, cardiosurgeon, Queen Elizabeth II Hospital, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, for successfully repeated open heart surgeries on E.L. Zodrow, 2002 and 2004.

Stratigraphy

Carboniferous, Pennsylvanian, Moscovian
roof of the Lloyd Cove Seam in the Sydney Basin, Canada, i.e., upper Moscovian (basal Cantabrian)

Locality

Canada
Lloyd Cove Seam, Sydney Coalfield, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia