India - The original homeland of Ceratopteris Brongniart (Parkeriaceae)

Abstract

The spores of Ceratopteris Brongniart (known as Striatriletes in fossil state) have been studied in detail and it has been found that this spore was recorded for the first time from the Middle-Upper Eocene in Kachchh, Meghalaya and Assam. In Venezuela, Caribbean islands, Nigeria and Malayasia, Striatriletes started its occurrence in the Lower Oligocene. It has also been presumed that (a) Ceratopteris evolved in India during Middle-Upper Eocene when it was near the equator and enjoying tropical climate; (b) the genus migrated from western coast of India towards equatorial Africa and then crossed the Atlantic Ocean to reach tropical Americas; (c) Ceratopteris migrated to Malayasia through northeast India and from there it reached to tropical Australia. Further, it has been suggested that the dominance of Ceratopteris spores in Oligocene-Miocene sediments of India, Venezuela, Caribbean islands, Nigeria and Malayasia is indicative of a big palaeogeographical province which may be called as Ceratopteris or Striatriletes province.