Loading…
Late Oligocene Melia (Meliaceae) from the Nanning Basin of South China and it’s biogeographical implication
Melia L. is a small genus of only 2–3 species, which is native to Indo-Malesia, India, Pakistan and southern parts of tropical Africa. Fossil records of Melia are known from the early Miocene to the Pleistocene. Here we describe some mummified fossil endocarps of Melia from the upper part of the Yon...
Saved in:
Published in: | Journal of palaeogeography 2021-07, Vol.10 (1), Article 16 |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , |
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Subjects: | |
Citations: | Items that this one cites Items that cite this one |
Online Access: | Get full text |
Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
Summary: | Melia
L. is a small genus of only 2–3 species, which is native to Indo-Malesia, India, Pakistan and southern parts of tropical Africa. Fossil records of
Melia
are known from the early Miocene to the Pleistocene. Here we describe some mummified fossil endocarps of
Melia
from the upper part of the Yongning Formation (late Oligocene) in Nanning Basin, South China. These well-preserved stony endocarps are 8–14 mm long and 5–9 mm wide, and have 5 locules with a single spindle seed per locule. We interpret these endocarps as the internal remains of a
Melia
drupe, and assign them as a new species:
M. santangensis
sp. nov. This is the only fossil record of anatomically preserved
Melia
found in China, and also the oldest fossil record of
Melia
so far reported globally. The fossil record confirms the presence of
Melia
in Asia at the late Oligocene, and provides evidence supporting the distribution and dispersal hypothesis of the Meliaceae. |
---|---|
ISSN: | 2524-4507 2524-4507 |
DOI: | 10.1186/s42501-021-00097-x |