Frenelopsis antunesii sp. nov., a new cheirolepidiaceous conifer from the Lower Cretaceous of Figueira da Foz Formation in western Portugal

Abstract

Shoots of cheirolepidiaceous conifers assigned to the fossil genus Frenelopsis are very common in Portuguese Early Cretaceous mesofossil floras. In this study, a new cheirolepidiaceous conifer Frenelopsis antunesii is described from the Lower Cretaceous (upper Aptian –lower Albian) of Figueira da Foz Formation at the Carregueira site, close to the small village of Juncal, in western-central mainland Portugal. The new fossil conifer is described based on morphological characters of vegetative shoots and cuticular features. The new species, Frenelopsis antunesii, is characterised by branching segmented shoots with three leaves per node, leaf surfaces distinctly covered by trichomes, leaves with thick cuticles and stomata arranged in short rows. The stomatal apparatus is composed of four or rarely five subsidiary cells. The morphological and anatomical features documented here support the view that Frenelopsis antunesii likely grew in a semiarid to arid climate.