A liana from the lower Miocene of Panama and the fossil record of Connaraceae

American Journal of Botany
Nathan A Jud, Chris W Nelson

Abstract

Permineralized wood is common in the Miocene beds exposed during the expansion of the Panama Canal. We describe a stem with the distinctive anatomy of a liana and evaluate the evolutionary, biogeographic, and ecological significance of this discovery. The object of the study was obtained from a collection of fossil woods and fruits from a locality in the lower Miocene Cucaracha Formation, where the formation is exposed by the Culebra Cut of the Panama Canal. Thin sections were prepared using the cellulose acetate peel technique and examined using transmitted light microscopy. We described the anatomy and compared it with that of extant and fossil species. We also reviewed and evaluated published reports of fossils attributed to Connaraceae. The anatomy of this fossil wood matches the genus Rourea (Connaraceae). The stem is only 1 cm in diameter, but vessels >200 μm in diameter also occur, indicating the perennial climbing habit. We evaluated 12 other pre-Quaternary occurrences attributed to Connaraceae. Four are accepted, three are rejected, and we consider five unknown or uncertain. The discovery of this Rourea stem confirms the presence of Connaraceae in the Neotropics by the early Miocene, provides the oldest evidence of the...Continue Reading

References

Jun 19, 2004·Systematic Biology·Isabel Sanmartín, Fredrik Ronquist
Feb 19, 2009·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Hengchang WangDouglas E Soltis
Jul 7, 2009·Journal of Human Evolution·Margaret E CollinsonMarion K Bamford
Mar 31, 2012·Revista de biología tropical·João Donizete DenardiElder Antônio Sousa Paiva
Jan 4, 2013·PloS One·Stefan A SchnitzerSuzanne Rutishauser Yorke
Feb 13, 2016·American Journal of Botany·Nathan A JudFabiany Herrera

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