Eckhartia sp.

Friis, Else Marie, Crane, Peter R. & Pedersen, Kaj Raunsgaard, 2019, The Early Cretaceous Mesofossil Flora Of Torres Vedras (Ne Of Forte Da Forca), Portugal: A Palaeofloristic Analysis Of An Early Angiosperm Community, Fossil Imprint 75 (2), pp. 153-257 : 213-215

Eckhartia sp.

( Text-fig. 39f–k )

D e s c r i p t i o n a n d r e m a r k s. Several narrow anther fragments, up to about 0.5 mm long and 0.1 mm wide ( Text-fig. 39f, g ), with in situ monocolpate pollen are referred to the new genus Eckhartia based on the shape of the anthers and the morphology of the in situ pollen. Pollen grains are monocolpate. The exine is semitectate-reticulate, heterobrochate and columellate. The colpus margin is distinctive, psilate to microreticulate ( Text-fig. 39i ).

The pollen grains of Eckhartia sp. are about 8 µm in equatorial diameter, much smaller than those of Eckhartia brevicolumella , E. intermedia and E. longicolumella . Lumina are of two sizes as in the other three species, but the smaller lumina are distinctive in often being arranged in rows ( Text-fig. 39j, k ). Like E. brevicolumella and E. longicolumella , Eckhartia sp. also has scattered, relatively large dentate orbicules ( Text-fig. 39h, k ), but most of the orbicules are small, irregular and rounded bodies that are densely scattered on the inner surface of the anther wall ( Text-fig. 39h ).

Pollen grains of Eckhartia sp. from the anther in Textfig. 39g were figured by us as Pollen type D.7 (Friis et al.

distal (c, e) and proximal (d) views showing the reticulum with smooth muri supported by long columellae that are firmly attached to the smooth surface of the foot layer; note that the muri delimit luminae of two markedly different sizes; h, i) Pollen grains in which the reticulum has become detached exposing the smooth surface of the foot layer with attached long columellae. Specimens, TV44 - S137901 (a) , TV44 - S135754 (holotype; b–i). Scale bars 300 Μm (a, b), 6 Μm (c, d, e, h), 3 Μm (f, g), 1.5 Μm (i) .

1999). The grains are only partly exposed in the anther fragments and there are no grains with well-exposed distal face. We therefore decline to create a new species. It is also possible that more than one species is present among the anther fragments and pollen assigned here to Eckhartia sp.

A f f i n i t y a n d o t h e r o c c u r r e n c e s. Eckhartia sp. is known only from the Torres Vedras mesofossil flora.

Figures

Text-fig. 39. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of monocolpate pollen of Eckhartia intermedia sp. nov. from a pollen clump, probably fragment of a stamen (a–e) and anthers and pollen of Eckhartia sp. (f–k); Torres Vedras locality, Portugal. a) Pollen clump that yielded the pollen in (b–e); b–d) Pollen grains viewed from distal (d) and proximal surfaces (b, c) showing the long colpus and well-developed reticulum with large and small luminae; e) Reticulum showing smooth muri supported by short columellae firmly attached to the smooth surface of the foot layer; note the occasional small luminae; f, g) Fragments of narrow elongate anthers with same kind of pollen as in (i); h) Inner surface of anther wall showing small spherical orbicules;