Aninopteris formosa

Filicopsida/Filicales/Matoniaceae

1998 Aninopteris formosa GIVULESCU and POPA, p. 51-66, Pls. 1, 2, Text-figs. 1-6.
1999 Aninopteris formosa POPA and VAN KONIJNENBURG-VAN CITTERT, p. 182-183, Pl. 2, Figs. 1-3, 5.

Diagnosis
Rachis of pinnae stout, 1,5 – 8 mm wide, unornamented or finely longitudinally striated, pinnules long, 70 - 100 mm or over, lanceolate, generally perpendicular, alternating or suboppositely inserted; pinnule base roundly constricted, pinnules with entire margins, parallel, abaxially prominent venation, adaxially depressed when compared with the upper surface of lamina, midrib straight, secondary veins generally perpendicular to the midrib, dichotomously and almost symmetrically divided, interconnected in a narrow marginal portion of the lamina, sori placed on the lower surface in two rows along the midrib, 0.7 – 0.9 mm diameter, in the second quarter or half of the pinnules length and in the first half of the distance between the midrib and margin, lacking an indusium and very reduced receptaculum, with 6-8 sporangia with uniseriate annulus showing large 16-20 cells, 0.2 - 0.3 mm in diameter; spores rounded, around 40 microns in polar diameter, triangular in polar view, nonvalved, with psilate exine, trilete mark with long and narrow laesurae which almost reach the equatorial margin, interradial thicknenings well marked; no perispore present (in Givulescu and Popa, 1998).

Discussion
The closest taxon to the genus Aninopteris is Phlebopteris. The main difference from all Phlebopteris species is the large size of the pinnules and their slight auricular basis. The constriction of the pinnules base doesn’t occur in any species of the Phlebopteris genus, making of this the main character for defining a new genus named Aninopteris.

Occurrence
Anina, former Steierdorf, Caras-Severin County, Resita Basin, Romania.

Phytostratigraphy
Sinemurian in age.

Paleoecology
Unknown.

Material
Compressive, very well preserved, with in situ spores.

References
Givulescu, R. and Popa, M.E., 1998. Aninopteris formosa Givulescu et Popa, gen. et sp. nov., a new Liassic matoniaceous genus and species from Anina, Banat, Romania. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 104: 51-66.

Popa, M.E. and Van Konijnenburg - Van Cittert, J.H.A., 1999. Aspects of Romanian Early Jurassic palaeobotany and palynology. Part I. In situ spores from the Getic Nappe, Banat, Romania, 5th EPPC. Acta Palaeobotanica. W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Krakow, pp. 181-195.