Notes on a fertile rhyniophytoid from the Lower Devonian of Guangxi, southwestern China

Abstract

A fertile rhyniophytoid is discovered from the Lower Devonian of Guangxi, southwestern China, which is characterised by small size, dichotomous branchings and terminal sporangia. This plant is similar to the genus Aberlemnia Gonez et Gerrienne and also, is comparable to some mesofossil morphotypes of early land plants from the Early Devonian (Lochkovian) Old Red Sandstone floras. This study adds new data to the generally zosterophyll-dominated Early Devonian floras of South China and sheds some lights on the palaeophytogeography of rhyniophytoids.

Keywords::

• Aberlemnia
• Zosterophyllum
• Early Devonian
• phytogeography
• rhyniophytoid
• South China

Acknowledgements

We thank Mr Yuan D.-J., Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology (NIGP), CAS, for help when examining specimens.

Additional information

Funding

This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant numbers. 41272018, 41272001], the State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy (NIGP, CAS) [grant number 123106] and China Geological Survey Project [grant number 1212011120142].