SPERMOPTERIS, A NEW GENUS OF PTERIDOSPERMS FROM THE UPPER PENNSYLVANIAN SERIES OF KANSAS

CRIDLAND, ARTHUR A., and JOHN E. MORRIS. (Kansas U., Lawrence.) Spermopteris, a new genus of pteridosperms from the Upper Pennsylvanian Series of Kansas. Amer. Jour. Bot. 47(10): 855-859. Illus. 1960.-Spermopteris gen. nov., based upon seed-bearing specimens of the formgenus Taeniopteris, is described from the Lawrence Shale, Pennsylvanian System, of Kansas. The single species S. coriacea (Goppert) comb. nov. is known. Comparison is made with other fertile and supposedly fertile Paleozoic specimens of Taeniopteris and with specimens of T. spatulata from the Rhaetic of Tonkin. IN A COLLECTION of fossils made by Mr. Arthur Bridwell at Baldwin, Kansas, a large number of leaves belonging to the form-genus Taeniopteris are present. Many of these are sterile but several have seeds attached. These specimens with seeds attached are particularly interesting as there is little information available on the reproductive organs of the Paleozoic species of Taeniopteris. Fontaine and White (1880) and Sellards (1901, 1908) described Paleozoic specimens as fertile Taeniopteris, but they did not demonstrate the exact nature of the supposed reproductive organs. More recently, Taeniopteris jejunata Grand 'Eury has been removed to the genus Illeldia (Remy, 1953) since it was found associated with small leaves, bearing marginal synangia, which Remy (1953) considered were borne on the same plant. The plants which we describe here agree with Taeniopteris coriacea G6ppert (1864), but since many of them bear a row of seeds beneath the lamina on each side of the midvein, and are clearly pteridosperms, G6ppert's species can now be removed from the form genus Taeniopteris and placed in a new genus Spermopteris. The plants are preserved in the form of iron-stained impressions in a silty shale with only occasional flecks of carbonaceous material preserved. Several specimens were macerated but did not vield cuticles. The specimens were collected during excavations at Baker University, Baldwin, Douglas County, Kansas, in 1946 from the Ireland Sandstone Member of the Lawrence Shale, which belongs to the Virgilian Stage, Upper Pennsylvanian Series, Pennsylvanian System (Jewett, 1959) In the collection made at this excavation, most of which is still housed at Baker University, specimens of Spermopteris are commonest. In addition, there are a few specimens of a small oblanceolate Taeniopteris (fig. 8), which are 'Received for publication March 20, 1960. This paper has been written under the direction of Dr. R. W. Baxter and is a part of a general study of the CoalAge Flora of Kansas supported by the National Science Foundation. We are grateful to Professors I. L. Boyd and E. T. Cragoe of Baker University for placing the specimens at our disposal and to Dr. J. M. Jewett and Mr. S. M. Ball for advice on their stratigraphic position. perhaps young leaves, and a few specimens of a large Taeniopteris (fig. 1). There are also several specimens of conifers which are referable to Walchia schneideri Zeiller (8126) and Walchia ( ? Lebachia) sp. (8116-8124) and one specimen of Dichophyllum moorei Elias ex Baxter and Hartman (8098). Besides these, the following plants are present: Calamites cistii Brongniart (8112), Annularia vernensis (Arnold) Abbott (8113-8114), Annularia cf. asteris Bell (8108-8111), Asterophyllites equisetiformis (Schlotheim) Brongniart (8095), articulate cones (8155), Ptychocarpus unitus (Brongniart) (8097), Neuropteris sp. (8099-8101), Odontopteris excelsa Sellards (81068107), Sphenopteris sp. (8115), unidentified fernlike foliage (8156-8159), ? Schizopteris sp. (81048105), Cordaites principalis Germar (8102-8103) and Artisia sp. (8096). The numbers in parentheses refer to representative specimens in the Fossil Plant Collection housed in the Department of Botany at the University of Kansas. The presence of Taeniopteris, Walchia and Dichophyllum in this collection is reminiscent of the plant assemblage in the Stanton Limestone near Garnett, Kansas (Moore et al., 1936), but a discussion of the significance of these 2 localities is beyond the scope of this paper. GENERIC DIAGNOSIS.-Spermopteris gen. nov. Leaves belonging to the form-genus Taeniopteris with a row of seeds borne on the abaxial surface on each side of the midvein. Seeds probably platyspermic, closely adpressed to the lamina, orientated at right angles to the midvein with their micropylar ends near or projecting beyond the margin of the leaf. The generic name is derived from the Greek, sperma-a seed, and pteris-a fern. Generotype.-SPERMOPTERIS coriacea (G6ppert) comb. nov. Representative specimens.-Nos. 8127-8148 (fig. 2-7, 9, 11-15). DESCRIPTION OF SPECIMENS.-The fertile leaves are up to 18-20 cm. long, with seeds confined to the terminal regions. The largest seed-bearing region we have seen is 9 cm. long, but this is an