| Suciacarpa Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Cornales |
| Family: | incertae sedis |
| Genus: | † Suciacarpa Atkinson, 2016 |
| Species | |
| |
Suciacarpa is an extinct genus of asterid flowering plants in the order Cornales. It is known from the fossil species Suciacarpa starrii and Suciacarpa xiangae, both found in Western North America.
Suciacarpa is known from several anatomically preserved fruits found in north-western Washington state, United States, [1] and Vancouver Island, British Columbia. [2]
At time of description the S. starrii holotype specimen, UF 19276-54286, and paratype, UF 19304-54982, were residing in the paleobotanical collections housed by the Florida Museum of Natural History. The two fruits were first studied by Oregon State University paleobotanist Brian Atkinson, with his 2016 type description for the genus and species being published in the NRC Research Press journal Botany. Atkinson coined the genus name Suciacarpa as a combination of "Sucia" after the type locality and the Greek carpa meaning fruit. The specific epithet starrii was chosen as a patronym honoring David W. Starr, who helped collect the fossils and to increase awareness of Sucia Island in the paleontology community. [1]
The fruits show a mosaic combination of features seen in the Cornales family groups Cornaceae/Alangiaceae and Nyssaceae, Mastixiaceae, and Davidiaceae, but does not conform to any one particular family and thus was left as incertae sedis within the order. [1] The Japanese Cornalean species Hironoia fusiformis described from coalified fossils of Coniacian age differ from Suciacarpa in several ways. The holotype fruit has preserved seeds with fungal hyphae and pyrite crystals in the cell structure. [1]
The S. starrii holotype specimen was collected on Sucia Island while the paratype was collected on Little Sucia Island. Both fruits are preserved in calcareous nodules recovered from exposures of the Campanian age Cedar District Formation. The nodules formed in what is thought to have been a shallow marine shelf environment that also had ammonites and inoceramid bivalves. [1] The formation has also preserved fossils of other terrestrial organisms including a single land snail, Condonella suciensis and a theropod femur, the first dinosaur identified from Washington State. [3] [1]
The only fossil of S. xiangae was found in a calcareous nodule from an outcrop of the late Campanian Spray Formation, part of the Cretaceous Nanaimo Group. The formation outcrop is in the area of Shelter point on the central eastern coast of Vancouver Island, north of Sucuia and Little Sucia Islands. [2]
There is differing opinion regarding what latitude the formations were deposited at in the Campanian. One suggestion, the Baja–British Columbia hypothesis, is that in the Cretaceous the area was located at about 30° north latitude, similar to Modern Baja California, and subsequent tectonic movement has shifted the area 3,000 km (1,900 mi) north to its present-day location. The other suggestion also involves northward tectonic movement, but suggests the Cretaceous location for the sediments was approximately the region of Northern California. [3]
The S. starrii fruits have a four-chambered structure with a smooth, woody exterior endocarp that is formed from sclerenchyma tissues. The fruits are approximately 8 mm (0.31 in) in diameter and 16 mm (0.63 in) long with each of the four crescent-shaped germination chambers opening near the top of the fruit. The germination chambers have a single seed each, attached to the chamber wall near the apex. Based on the positioning of the preserved fungal hyphae, the cells of the seed integument were rectangular in outline and small. Like members of Nyssaceae, S. starrii has short germination valves that occupy only about half of the fruit, but have secretory chambers, a feature only seen in cornelian cherries of the Cornus subgenus Cornus. Also S. starrii has a pair of vascular bundles running through each of the septa lengthwise. The two bundles converge near the top of the septum to enter the seed. [1]
The Cornales are an order of flowering plants, early diverging among the asterids, containing about 600 species. Plants within the Cornales usually have four-parted flowers, drupaceous fruits, and inferior to half-inferior gynoecia topped with disc-shaped nectaries.
The Cornaceae are a cosmopolitan family of flowering plants in the order Cornales. The family contains approximately 85 species in two genera, Alangium and Cornus. They are mostly trees and shrubs, which may be deciduous or evergreen, although a few species are perennial herbs. Members of the family usually have opposite or alternate simple leaves, four- or five-parted flowers clustered in inflorescences or pseudanthia, and drupaceous fruits. The family is primarily distributed in northern temperate regions and tropical Asia. In northern temperate areas, Cornaceae are well known from the dogwoods Cornus.
Chasmosaurus is a genus of ceratopsid dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous Period of North America. Its name means 'opening lizard', referring to the large openings (fenestrae) in its frill. With a length of 4.3–4.8 metres (14.1–15.7 ft) and a weight of 1.5–2 tonnes, Chasmosaurus was a ceratopsian of average size. Like all ceratopsians, it was purely herbivorous. It was initially to be called Protorosaurus, but this name had been previously published for another animal. All specimens of Chasmosaurus were collected from the Dinosaur Park Formation of the Dinosaur Provincial Park of Alberta, Canada. Referred specimens of C. russelli come from the lower beds of the formation while C. belli comes from middle and upper beds.
Saurornitholestes is a genus of dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur that lived from 77 to 68 million years ago, during the Campanian and Maastrichtian ages of the Late Cretaceous, in what is now Alberta and the United States of America.
Orodromeus is a genus of herbivorous orodromine thescelosaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of North America. Only one species is known, the type species Orodromeus makelai.
Pectinodon is a genus of troodontid dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous period (66 mya). It currently contains a single valid species, Pectinodon bakkeri, known only from teeth.
Margaretbarromyces is an extinct monotypic genus of pleosporale fungus of uncertain family placement. At present it contains the single species Margaretbarromyces dictyosporus.
Appianoporites is an extinct monotypic genus of fungus in the Agaricomycetes family Hymenochaetaceae. At present it contains the single species Appianoporites vancouverensis.
Quatsinoporites is an extinct monotypic genus of agaricomycet fungus in the Agaricomycetes family Hymenochaetaceae. At present it contains the single species Quatsinoporites cranhamii.
Navajodactylus is an extinct genus of pterodactyloid pterosaur from Late Cretaceous deposits of the San Juan Basin in New Mexico, United States.
Cornus piggae is an extinct species of dogwood known from fossil fruits found in Late Paleocene sediments exposed in the US state of North Dakota. C. piggae is one of three extinct species placed in the Cornus subgenus Cornus based on fossil fruit morphology. The other two species, C. ettingshausenii and C. multilocularis are known from pyritized fruits found in sediments of the London Clay in England. C. piggae is the only North American fruit species yet described and is also the oldest described species in Cornus subgenus Cornus.
Judiceratops is an extinct horned dinosaur. It lived around 78 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous Period in what is now Montana, United States. Like other horned dinosaurs, Judiceratops was a large, quadrupedal herbivore. It is the oldest known chasmosaurine.
Actinidia oregonensis is an extinct species of flowering plants in the kiwifruit family, Actinidiaceae, solely known from the middle Eocene sediments exposed in north-central Oregon. The species was first described from a series of isolated fossil seeds in chert.
Cornus clarnensis is an extinct species of flowering plant in the dogwood family, Cornaceae, solely known from the middle Eocene sediments exposed in north central Oregon. The species was first described from a series of isolated fossil seeds in chert.
The Cedar District Formation is a geologic formation exposed on Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands of British Columbia and San Juan Islands of Washington (state). It preserves fossils dating back to the Campanian Epoch of the Cretaceous period. It dates to the lower mid-Campanian.
Davidia involucrata, the dove-tree, handkerchief tree, pocket handkerchief tree, or ghost tree, is a medium-sized deciduous tree in the family Nyssaceae. It is the only living species in the genus Davidia. It was previously included with tupelos in the dogwood family, Cornaceae. Fossil species are known extending into the Upper Cretaceous.
Condonella is an extinct genus of land snail in the family Urocoptidae known from the fossil species Condonella suciensis of Western North America.
Tsukada is an extinct genus of flowering plant in the family Nyssaceae related to the modern "dove-tree", Davidia involucrata, containing the single species Tsukada davidiifolia. The genus is known from fossil leaves found in the early Eocene deposits of northern Washington state, United States and a similar aged formation in British Columbia, Canada.
Nyssa spatulata is an extinct species of flowering plant in the tupelo family, Nyssaceae known from the middle Eocene sediments exposed in north central Oregon. The species was first described from a series of isolated fossil seeds in chert.
Leyvachelys is an extinct genus of turtles in the family Sandownidae from the Early Cretaceous of the present-day Altiplano Cundiboyacense, Eastern Ranges, Colombian Andes. The genus is known only from its type species, Leyvachelys cipadi, described in 2015 by Colombian paleontologist Edwin Cadena. Fossils of Leyvachelys have been found in the fossiliferous Paja Formation, close to Villa de Leyva, Boyacá, after which the genus is named. The holotype specimen is the oldest and most complete sandownid turtle found to date.