LOBATANNULARIA LINJIAENSIS SP. NOV. FROM THE MIDDLE TRIASSIC OF BENXI, LIAONING

Lobatannularia linjiaensis sp. nov. belonging to the order Equisetales has been described from the Middle Triassic Linjia Formation of Benxi in Liaoning, Northeast China. The new species is characterized by small leaf-whorls, each leaf-whorl forming two marked lobes, generally composed of 10–12 leaves; leaves linear to oblanceolate, with different sizes in length, united for 1/3 to 3/4 of their length. Since Kawasaki erected the genus Lobatannularia in 1927, at least 33 species have been described on the basis of the morphology of the megafossils. Most of them are collected from the Permian, seldom found in Triassic. As a relict Cathaysian element, the new species not only enlarges the knowledge in taxonomy of Lobatannularia, but also provides an opportunity to understand the evolution of Lobatannularia in the mass extinction through the Permi-an?Triassic transition and its subsequent recovery.

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