Extending the diversity of the bryoflora in Kachin amber (Myanmar), with the description of Radula patrickmuelleri, sp. nov. and R. tanaiensis, sp. nov. (Jungermanniopsida, Porellales, Radulaceae)
Author
Feldberg, Kathrin
Department of Geobiology, University of Goettingen, Goldschmidtstrasse 3, 37077 Goettingen, Germany
kathrin.feldberg@uni-goettingen.de
Author
Schaefer-Verwimp, Alfons
Mittlere Letten 11, 88634 Herdwangen-Schoenach, Germany
Author
Li, Ya
Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
Author
Renner, Matt A. M.
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2286-7257
Wildland Consultants, 99 Sala Street, Whakarewarewa, Rotorua, New Zealand
text
Fossil Record
2022
2022-06-16
25
1
213
230
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/fr.25.82362
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/fr.25.82362
2193-0074-1-213
45048AF336F04E93AB9607BE0F9258D9
459456B3E21956818C00FAA8B4DD7F26
Radula tanaiensis K.Feldberg,
Schaef
.-Verw. & M.A.M.Renner
sp. nov.
Fig. 5A-E
Holotype.
GZG.BST.22042 (
Mueller
BuB4329)
, Geoscience Centre (GZG) at the University of
Goettingen
, Germany.
Etymology.
The specific epithet refers to the village of Tanai, where Kachin amber is mined.
Locality and horizon.
Amber mines southwest of the village of Tanai ca. 105 km north of Myitkyina in Kachin State, northern Myanmar, fossil enclosed in upper Albian-lower Cenomanian Kachin amber.
Diagnosis.
Gametophyte irregularly branched, branches similar to main shoot,
Radula
-type. Lateral leaves complicate bilobed; dorsal lobe oval to ovate with rounded apex, deeply emarginated at end of keel; free exterior wall of marginal cells distinctly thickened; ventral lobules
Lejeunea
-type, up to 0.4
x
as big as dorsal lobes, ovate to rounded trapezoid, insertion longitudinal, antical free margin often reaching antical margin of lobe.
Description.
Branched gametophyte fragment ca. 4 mm long [tip of main shoot broken off], yellowish to reddish brown (Fig.
5A-C
); main shoot up to 2.12 mm wide with leaves. Branching irregular,
Radula
-type (Fig.
5A, C
); three intact branches with reduced leaves near their base, becoming main shoot-like, 2.6-2.72 mm long and 1.2-2.1 mm wide with leaves. Stem dark reddish brown, straight to slightly zig-zagged, on main shoot ca. 70-90
µm
wide [strongly decomposed], on branches ca. 60
µm
wide; surface cells not visible; ventral and dorsal leaf-free strips not visible. Rhizoids not seen. Foliation incubous, lateral leaves alternate, complicate bilobed, divided into large dorsal lobe and smaller ventral
Lejeunea
-type lobule enclosing the ventral leaf surface and forming a sharp postical keel (Fig.
5B
). Dorsal lobes imbricate, oval to ovate, insertion longitudinal, flat, spreading, not obliquely patent, riding onto dorsal stem surface; margin entire, postical margin deeply curved along inner half, first nearly straight then evenly curved towards apex along outer half, lobe apex broadly rounded, exterior antical margin evenly curved, interior margin curved and slightly ampliate, overlapping the stem up to 1
x
the stem width beyond the father edge of the stem; lobes on main shoot 600-610
µm
long
x
440-510
µm
wide, length:width ratio 1.2-1.4:1, length exterior to keel 390-400
µm
, length of stem insertion not clearly visible; lobes on branches 390-520
µm
long
x
300-360
µm
wide, length exterior to keel 180-320
µm
, length of stem insertion not visible. Marginal lobe cells quadrate to rectangular, 10-20
µm
long
x
15-25
µm
wide, long axis either perpendicular or parallel with leaf margin (Fig.
5E
); medial cells (sub)isodiametric to slightly elongated, 15-30
µm
long
x
12.5-25
µm
wide (Fig.
5D
); basal cells not visible; cell surfaces appearing smooth, but possible ornamentation visible in some parts (Fig.
5D
) [cells generally indistinct]; cell walls moderately thickened, with small triangular to subnodulose trigones, free exterior wall of marginal cells distinctly thickened (Fig.
5E
). Ventral lobules ovate to rounded trapezoid, up to 0.4
x
as big as lobe, free antical margin often reaching antical margin of lobe (Fig.
5B
), insertion longitudinal, free exterior and antical margins nearly straight to curved, apex narrowly rounded to rounded, interior margin ampliate, ventrally extending up to 1
x
the stem width beyond the farther edge of stem; keel emerging at an angle of ca. 45° from the stem, lobe deeply emarginated at end of keel; lobules on main stem 290-310
µm
long
x
340-370
µm
wide, length:width ratio ca. 0.9:1, keel length 210-230
µm
, length of stem insertion not visible; on branches 270-330
µm
long
x
300-340
µm
wide, length:width ratio 0.8-1:1. Underleaves lacking. No asexual reproduction. Sterile.
Remarks.
The new fossil material consists of a short shoot fragment with the apex broken off and three main shoot-like
Radula
-type branches. It is not very well preserved, and many branches and leaves are broken (Fig.
5A-E
). The lobules are generally very large in relation to the lobes (Fig.
5A, B
) and differentiate this fossil clearly from
R. patrickmuelleri
as well as the much smaller
R. cretacea
whose lobules are less than 0.2
x
the lobe size (Figs
3
,
4F
). Superficially the new species looks similar to
R. heinrichsii
(Fig.
5F, G
; compare descriptions in
Feldberg et al. 2021b
), but the lobules of
R. tanaiensis
are up to 0.4
x
the lobe size and their antical margin often reaches the antical margin of the lobe (Fig.
5B
), while the lobules of
R. heinrichsii
remain smaller and are more rounded (Fig.
5F
). The lobe cells are somewhat indistinct, but it is clearly visible that the outer walls of the marginal cells are distinctly thickened (Fig.
5E
) whereas those of
R. heinrichsii
are thinner (Fig.
5G
).
Figure 5.
Radula tanaiensis
sp. nov. and
R. heinrichsii
Feldberg et al.
A-E.
R. tanaiensis
, GZG.BST.22042 (
Mueller
BuB4329), holotype;
A.
Gametophyte, ventral;
B.
Lobe and lobule, ventral (lobule indicated by black arrow);
C.
Lower part of
Radula
-type branch;
D.
Medial lobe cells;
E.
Marginal lobe cells with thickened free exterior walls (indicated by white arrow);
F, G.
R. heinrichsii
, GZG.BST.22023 (
Mueller
BuB3683), holotype;
F.
Gametophyte with microphyllous (amentulose) branches (indicated by asterisks), ventral;
G.
Lobe cells with central mamillae.