Taxacom: "Early Permian" angiosperms... real or not real taxa/names?

[Kenneth Kinman]

Hi Tony,
      Excellent investigation.  As I stated, angiosperms have been compared to other Pteridospermatophyta (including Caytoniales and Glossopteridales), so a preliminary assignment of Wachtler's Permian taxa of supposed angiosperms to Peltaspermopsida (Order Peltaspermales) would seem a good choice at the present time.  Assignment to Family Peltaspermaceae in particular would seem a little too daring (but they could well be sister group to that family).
                   ----------------Ken
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Pteridospermatophyta - Wikipedia<https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FPteridospermatophyta&data=05%7C01%7Ctaxacom%40lists.ku.edu%7C36fafd06bba1433e968708da481fd8e8%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C637901598867722042%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=NReFMAq59DCV35lh8V6tsJfuJW1nuYwV3t8vKC%2FdAFw%3D&reserved=0>
The term Pteridospermatophyta (or "seed ferns" or "Pteridospermatopsida") is a polyphyletic group of extinct seed-bearing plants (spermatophytes).The earliest fossil evidence for plants of this type is the genus Elkinsia of the late Devonian age. They flourished particularly during the Carboniferous and Permian periods. Pteridosperms declined during the Mesozoic Era and had mostly disappeared ...
en.wikipedia.org


________________________________
From: Taxacom <taxacom-bounces at lists.ku.edu> on behalf of Tony Rees via Taxacom <taxacom at lists.ku.edu>
Sent: Monday, June 6, 2022 5:51 PM
To: Michael Heads <m.j.heads at gmail.com>
Cc: Taxacom (taxacom at lists.ku.edu) <taxacom at lists.ku.edu>
Subject: Re: Taxacom: "Early Permian" angiosperms... real or not real taxa/names?

Hi Michael,

You wrote:

> 'pteridosperms' are now generally accepted as a polyphyletic mess...

I do not doubt that you are correct here... in this instance the affinity
seems most likely to be with the Peltaspermales/Peltaspermaceae, one of
which (Peltaspermum retensorium) is associated with "polliniferous
organs... of the Permotheca type. These synangiate pollen organs consist of
4 to 9 pollen sacs attached to a small disc, which is up to 15 mm in
diameter (Plate II, 2, 3, 5-7; Figs. 6E, 7A,B, 8C). The individual pollen
sacs can slightly fused basally (Plate II, 2, 3, 7) or almost entirely free
(Plate II, 5, 6); they are always free apically." (Naugolnykh & Kerp,1996,
Aspects of Permian palaeobotany and palynology. XV. On the oldest known
peltasperms with radially symmetrical ovuliferous discs from the Kungurian
(uppermost Lower Permian) of the Fore-Urals (Russia).
doi:10.1016/0034-6667(95)00066-6 ), which look just like little flowers
(their fig. 7)... Also noting that Asterodiscus disparis Zalessky, 1937,
considered by Wachtler to be included in his suite of Early Permian
angiosperms, is listed by Naugolnykh & Kerp as a "probable synonym" of
Peltaspermum retensorium (the name Asterodiscus is also illegitimate
anyway, being preoccupied by a genus of diatom).

I have not yet checked Zalessky's Aspidion decemnervium, also cited by
Wachtler as a pre-Cretaceous angiosperm, but will attempt to chase it down
further.

So maybe in my database master taxonomy it would be best to allocate
Wachtler's new taxa to Peltaspermales in particular rather than
Pteridospermopsida in general, which as you say is a rather "broad church"
at present, and may indeed be split further along phylogenetic lines at
some point in the future.

Tony Rees, New South Wales, Australia
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