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Cryptokerpia sarlaccophora gen. et sp. nov., an enigmatic plant fossil from the Late Permian Umm Irna Formation of Jordan

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Abstract

Cryptokerpia sarlaccophora gen. et sp. nov., an enigmatic type of gymnosperm leaf, is described based on dispersed cuticles retrieved from bulk-macerated samples of the Umm Irna Formation (Upper Permian) of the Dead Sea Region, Jordan. The most prominent diagnostic feature of the new genus is that stomatal pores are sunken deep into the epidermis at the bottom of multi-cellular stomatal crypts that are lined with multiple tiers of papillae. Vaguely similar ‘stomatal tubes’ are known from several plant groups (e.g., conifers, Bennettitales, Proteaceae, noeggerathiopsids), but are readily distinguished by their epidermal features and gross morphology. The Umm Irna Formation provides a unique window into rarely preserved dry-standing elements and demonstrates that, when these groups are preserved, they still hold great potential for future research.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to thank Jörg Schneider and Frank Scholze (Freiberg), Sebastian Voigt (Thallichtenberg), Nidal S. and Haatem S. Badandi (Irbid, Jordan), and especially our good friend Hans for most enjoyable and successful field work. We appreciate the helpful comments and suggestions by Heidi Anderson-Holmes (Johannesburg, R.S.A.) and Brian Axsmith (Mobile, AL, U.S.A.) on an earlier version of the manuscript. Technical and financial support by the University of Jordan and by the German Science Foundation (DFG grants KE584/20-1 to Hans Kerp and BO3131/1-1 to BB) is gratefully acknowledged. Abdalla Abu-Hamad wishes to thank the German Science Foundation for the financial support during his stays in Germany (DFG grants BA675/26-1-3 to Klaus Bandel and KE584/20-1 to Hans Kerp). This manuscript is a contribution to the Emmy Noether Research Programme “Latitudinal Patterns in Plant Evolution”.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Forschungsstelle für Paläobotanik, Institut für Geologie und Paläontologie, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany

    Patrick Blomenkemper & Benjamin Bomfleur

  2. Department of Applied and Environmental Geology, The University of Jordan, Amman, 11942, Jordan

    Abdalla Abu Hamad

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  1. Patrick Blomenkemper
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  2. Abdalla Abu Hamad
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Correspondence to Patrick Blomenkemper.

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Blomenkemper, P., Abu Hamad, A. & Bomfleur, B. Cryptokerpia sarlaccophora gen. et sp. nov., an enigmatic plant fossil from the Late Permian Umm Irna Formation of Jordan. PalZ 93, 479–485 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12542-019-00466-x

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