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39. on SOME Nevv PLANT FOSSILS from the KARHARBARI BEDS, GIRIDIH COALFIELD, INDIA

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39. on SOME Nevv PLANT FOSSILS from the KARHARBARI BEDS, GIRIDIH COALFIELD, INDIA STUDIES IN THE GLOSSOPTERIS FLORA OF INDIA- 39. ON SOME NEvV PLANT FOSSILS FROM THE KARHARBARI BEDS, GIRIDIH COALFIELD, INDIA P. fC MAfTHY Birbal Salmi Institut •• of Palaeobotany, Lllcknow ABSTRACT or spathulate-lanceolate in shape. The spa• thulate leaves have mostly broad obtuse Four new plant fossils Gang(unopleris oblanceoZ"la sp. nov., Euryphyllum obovalu1JI sp. nov., DoZian-ilia apex (PL. 4, FIG. 1) and the narrower leaves karharbarensis sp. novo and Buriadia jforinii sp. novo (spathulate-Ianceolate) tend to show some• are described from the Karharbari beds, Giridil1 Coalfield. what roundly obtuse apex (PL. 1, FIG. 2). Leaves have narrow tapering base. One INTRODUCTION of the margins of the leaf base shows more curvature than the other. Median sub• parallel veins are not prominent. Secon• beds, Giridih Coalfield have earlier PLA~T fossils from the Karharbari dary \'eins are gi\'en out from the median been described by Feistmantel (1879) veins at acute angle. The veins in the and Zeiller (1902). In recent years Maithy median portion are ± errect and show 1965a-e) has described the plant fossils radiating curvature towards the margin. from these beds. In a recent collection The course of the veins is ± straight. The some new plant fossils were encountered maximum width of the leaf is above the from the Karharbari beds, Giridih Coalfield. i length of the leaf. The densitv of the The\' ;Lr,', tl1"'reiore, described here in detail. veins is 12-16 per cm. - ComparisoN and Discussion-Feistmantel DESCRIPTION (1879) proposed Gangamopteris major for GA~GA:\IOPTERIS McCoy those leaves with a characteristic elliptical shape and ± pointed apex. Subsequently Gallgamoptcris ol]lancealata sp. no\'. under this species he placed some leaves with spathulate shape with broad round PI. 1, Figs. 1, 2 apex in view of the close similarity in vena• 1879 - Gangamopteris major Feistmantel, tion (PL. 16, FIG. 2). Maithy (1965e) pI. 16, fig. 2, 2a. opined that the latter leaves needs a sepa• ration on morphological grounds from Gan• 1965e-- Gangamopteris ? major Maithy, pI. 2, fig. 8. gamopteris major and, subsequently, placed Diagnosis - Leaves ± symmetrical, spa• them under G. ?major in view of its distinct thulate shape, apex obtuse to obtusely shape. In a recent collection some more pointed, base narrow tapering. Median complete leaves were recorded and a critical veins obscure, persistent from apex to base, morphological analysis of them shows that forming elongate meshes by inter-connec• they differ from G. major in the following tions. Secondar~' veins arise at acute angle, salien t poin ts. course ± errect, somewhat arched towards Gangamopteris major Gangamo pteris oblan- the margin, anastomosed to form narrow Feistm. ceolata sp. novo elongate meshes of ± uniform size. Margin 1. Rhomboidal shape 1. Spathulate shape entire. 2. Petiolate base 2. Gradually taper• Neotype - Specimen No. 19965, Birbal ing base Salmi Institute of Palaeobotany. 3. Maximum width 3. Maximum width Locality - Central pit, Srirampur Colliery, above 2/3 length above 3/4 length Giridih Coalfield. of the leaf. of the leaf. Hor1'zon - Karharbari Stage. 4. Margins of leaf 4. One of the mar• Age _. Lower Permian. base shows equal gins of the leaf Description - There are ten speCimens curvature. base shows greater in the collection and some of them are curvature than the ± complete. Leaves are mostly spathulate other. 167 168 THE PALAEOBOTANIST These morphological distinctions warrant tance. The present record of another species separation of these forms from Gangamop• of Euryphyllum supports the fact that the teris major, and, henceforth a new specific genus has a distinct· generic entity with name Gangamopteris oblanceolata is proposed. different morphological forms with similar Since the specimen described by Feistmante1 type of venation like the earlier described in 1879 is not traceable in the collection of species of EurYPhulhtm. the Geological Survey of India, therefore, The taxonomic position of both these a Neotype is designated here. genera still remains an open question. Views have been expressed in past (SEWARD, EURYPHYLLVMFeistmantel 1917; S,EWARD& SAHKI, 1920) to consider Noeggerathiopsis synonymous to the northern Euryphyll1/m o~ovatum sp. novo genus Cordaites in view of their close simi• larity in external characters. However, PI. 1,. Fig. 3 Lele and Maithy (1964), Maithy (1965 c) and Pant and Verma (1964) favoured the Diagnosis - Leaf ± symmetrical, shape retention of two distinct generic names spathulate, apex broadly obtuse, base narrow because of (i) the general prevalence of tapering, basal end truncated; curvature certain structural differences between them; of leaf margins symmetrical; subparallel (ii) the complete absence of indubitable v~ins emerging from base, dichotomus, fructifications of Cordianthus type in the closely spaced, density 15 to 20 veins/em. Glossopteris flora and (iii) the imperfect width; towards the upper half of the leaf knowledge of the internal anatomy of in the central portion the veins are erect N oeggerathiopsis. subparallel and in lateral portion ± diver• The distinct character of the fossils of the gent and arched towards the margin. Glossopteris flora is also an additional cri• H olotype - 19949, Birbal Sahni Institute teria for disfavouring to consider Noeggera• of Palaeobotany, Lucknow. thiopsis and E~tryphyllU'm members of Locality - Central pit, Srirampur colliery, the group Cordaitales. Edward (1955), Giridih Coalfield. Krausel (1961) and Plumstead (1962) have Horizon - Karharbari Stage. emphasized the difference between similar Description - A solitary specimen in the looking elements in the northern and Gond• collection measuring 5,6 cm long and 2 cm wanaland fossils. Their observations haye broad. The maximum widest region is also indicated that no fossil member is about 1/5th from the apex. The basal common to both the flora. portion of the leaf is drawn longer. The Thus, the taxonomic position of these basal end of the leaf is truncated. forms remains open. Noeggerathiopsis and Comparison and Discussion - Euryphyl• Euryphyllum are both commonly found in lum whitt1'anum recorded by Feistmantel the Talchir and the Karharbari Stages of (1879) and Maithy (1965c) differs in having India. Usually these are encountered along• asymmetrical leaf outline, ± roundly point• with the Glossopteridalean remains, viz. ed apex and less density of veins. Further Glossopteris, Gangamopteris and Rubidgea. in E. obovatum the base is longer drawn in Therefore, it will not be very unwise to comparison to E. whittianum. think about the two genera Noeggerathiopsis In its morphological characters Eury• and Euryphyllu.m to be alike forms of Glos• phyllum Feistmantel closely compares to sopteridales, and probably allied members. Noeggerathiopsis Feistmante1. The former This is supported by close parallelism in is characterized in possessing erect, dicho• morphological and epidermal structures with tomous, subparallel veins in the median the members of Glossopteridales and the portion and arching veins towards the so-called Cordaitalean remains of the Glos• margin in lateral portion of the leaf, whereas sopteris flora. the latter genus has dichotomous, erect, Morphologically R~tbidgea Tate and Eury• subparallel veins throughout the leaf. This phyllum Feistmantel stand very close to only morphological distinction was consi• these forms. Rubidgea compares to Eury• dered by Fcistmantel (1879), Seward and phylhtm in its venation character except Sahni (1920) and Maithy (1965 e) as a dis• by the presence of distinct median sub• tinct generic character, however, Arber parallel veins like Gangamopteris McCoy. (1905) considered it to be of specific impor- Thus Rubidgea stands as an intermediate MAITHY - STUDIES IK THE GLOSSOPTERIS FLORA OF IKDIA - 39 169 form between Gangamopteris and Eury• Locality - Bengal Nagpur open quarry, phyllum. Similarly Palaeovittaria resembles Srirampur Colliery, Giridih Coalfield. Noeggerathiopsis in absence of a distinct Horizon - Karharbari Stage. midrib in the basal portion, a characteristic Description - The collection has only two of Glossopteris leaves. Thus, we find the specimens preserved in form of impression existence of a morphological parallelism in on a single shal~along with Bmiadia sewardii. between the Glossopteridalean leaves and The specimen figured in (Pc 1, FIG. 5, so called Cordaitean leaves of Glossopteris TEXT-FIG. 1A) has a median axes with deep flora. In the past several workers contributed to the epidermal structure of Glossopteris (SRIVASTAVA,1956; SURANGE& MAHESH• WARI,1962; Hs;SEG& BOSE,1960) and Ganga• mopteris (Hs;SEG& BOSE, 1960; MAITHY, 1965e, 1968) leaves. The cuticles of these remains are either hypostomatic or amphis• tomatic, surface papillate or non-papillate, stomata haplocheilic, subsidiary cells mono• cyclic or amphicyclic and stomal orientation irregular. The epidermal structure of N oeg• gerathiopsis has been described in detail in recent years by Lele and Maithy (1964) and Pant and Verma (1964). It compares to the cuticles of Glossopteris and Ganga• mopteris in all the characters except in the orientation of stomata, which is linear or longitudinal. Pant and Verma (1964 b) recently described the cuticle of Palaeo• vittaria raniga11jensis sp. nov., which has a linear orientation of stomata and expressed the view that in this character the form stands very closer to Noeggerathiopsis. Thus, the past observations on the epidermal structure suggests that the angle of diver•
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