A new species of the cheirolepidiaceous conifer Pseudofrenelopsis from the Lower Cretaceous of Figueira da Foz Formation, Portugal

A new cheirolepidiaceous conifer Pseudofrenelopsis zlatkoi is described from the Lower Cretaceous (late Aptian-early Albian) of the Figueira da Foz Formation in the Lusitanian Basin, western Portugal. The new species is similar to Pseudofrenelopsis parceramosa, but differs in having thinner cuticle, expanded nodal areas and ridged internodes. It is compared in several respects to thirteen other species described in the past. Pseudofrenelopsis zlatkoi is characterised by ridged internodes. Their morphology is mirrored in the disposition of epidermal structures, having usually ridges built by elongate costal ordinary cells. The grooves between ridges are formed by uniserial or biserial rows of stomata. Stomata of abaxial cuticle are surrounded typically by five subsidiary cells bearing papillae and additionally surrounded by a rim, while on the adaxial cuticle stomata are typically without papillae, being surrounded by a simple rim (Florin ring). The large papillae are equipped with delicate microemergenses on their surface.We are grateful to Lenka Váchová (National Museum Prague, Czech Republic) for technical assistance with the scanning electron microscopy and Peter Daneš (National Museum Prague, Czech Republic) for English editing. We also thank Lutz Kunzmann (Senckenberg Natural History Collections, Dresden, Germany) and an anonymous reviewer for valuable comments on the manuscript. Financially, this research was supported by grants from the Czech Grant Agency (project 20-06134S) and the Portuguese Science Foundation (FCT), under the projects UIDB/04292/2020, UIDP/04292/2020, granted to MARE, and LA/P/0069/2020, granted to the Associate Laboratory ARNET