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A fossil species of Ceratolejeunea (Lejeuneaceae, Porellales) preserved in Miocene Mexican amber
ISSN
1938-4378
0007-2745
Date Issued
2014
Author(s)
Heinrichs, Jochen
Schäfer-Verwimp, Alfons
Boxberger, Julia
Feldberg, Kathrin
Kraemer, Monica Morayma Solorzano
DOI
10.1639/0007-2745-117.1.010
Abstract
A sterile liverwort inclusion in a piece of Miocene Mexican amber is described and assigned to the extant genus Ceratolejeunea. The inclusion has entire leaves with a basal group of 2-4(-ca. 7) ocelli, rather thin-walled leaf cells, large ovoid lobules and bifid, suborbicular underleaves. This combination of characters does not fit the morphology of extant species. Accordingly, the fossil is described as Ceratolejeunea antiqua, sp. nov., making it the second liverwort species known from Mexican amber.