Cyclodendron Explained

Cyclodendron was a genus of lycophytes dating from the Permian. Plants were vascularized with reproduction by spores.

Taxonomy and distribution

The type species, C. leslii, was originally described by Seward in 1903 under the name Bothrodendron leslii and based on specimens collected in Vereeniging, Atherstone Quarry and Port Alfred, South Africa. In 1928, Kräusel would reassign this species to his newly-erected genus Cyclodendron, to which he also assigned specimens from southwest Africa and Uganda.^[1] Later authors would recognize more fossils from other Permian Gondwanan localities to belong to this species, including Australia (Reids Dome beds), India and Oman (Gharif Formation).^{[2] [3] [4]}

In Brazil, the fossil of indefinite species of the genus Cyclodendron, was located on outcrop Morro Papaléo in the city of Mariana Pimentel. They are in the geopark Paleorrota in Rio Bonito Formation and date from Sakmarian at Permian.^[5]

In 2012, C. golondrinensis was described from specimens collected in the Permian-aged La Golondrina Formation of Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. It is named after the formation.^[6]

The species C. andreisii was described in 2014 based on a series of sequentially decorticated stems. The fossil specimens were discovered in the upper Permian Yaguarí Formation of Uruguay.^[7]

Notes and References

1. Rayner . R J . Rayner . R. J. . 1985 . The Permian lycopod Cyclodendron leslii from South Africa . Palaeontology . 28 . 111–120 . 0031-0239.
2. Beeston . J.W. . January 1990 . Cyclodendron leslii (Seward) Kräusel 1928 and associated palynomorphs in the Early Permian Reids Dome beds, Queensland, Australia . Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology . en . 14 . 4 . 325–330 . 10.1080/03115519008619063 . 1990Alch...14..325B . 0311-5518.
3. Goswami . Shreerup . Jeet Singh . Kamal . Chandra . Shaila . 2006-12-15 . Pteridophytes from Lower Gondwana formations of the Ib River Coalfield, Orissa and their diversity and distribution in the Permian of India . Journal of Asian Earth Sciences . en . 28 . 4 . 234–250 . 10.1016/j.jseaes.2005.09.009 . 2006JAESc..28..234G . 1367-9120.
4. Berthelin . M. . Broutin . J. . Kerp . H. . Crasquin-Soleau . S. . Platel . J.-P. . Roger . J. . July 2003 . The Oman Gharif mixed paleoflora: a useful tool for testing Permian Pangea reconstructions . Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology . en . 196 . 1–2 . 85–98 . 10.1016/S0031-0182(03)00314-6. 2003PPP...196...85B .
5. http://sigep.cprm.gov.br/sitio101/sitio101_impresso.pdf Afloramento Morro do Papaléo, Mariana Pimentel, RS
6. Cariglino . Bárbara . Coturel . Eliana P. . Gutiérrez . Pedro R. . December 2012 . The lycophytes of the La Golondrina Formation (Permian), Santa Cruz Province, Argentina: systematic revision, biostratigraphy and palaeoecology . Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology . en . 36 . 4 . 427–449 . 10.1080/03115518.2012.663582 . 2012Alch...36..427C . 0311-5518. 11336/67877 . 128462002 . free .
7. Herbst . Rafael . Gutiérrez . Pedro R. . 1995 . CYCLODENDRON ANDREISII NOV. SP. (LYCOPODIOPSIDACEAE, LYCOPHYTA) DEL PERMICO SUPERIOR DE URUGUAY . . es . 32 . 2 . 141–150 . 1851-8044.