Taeniopteroid leaves from Lower Gondwana formations of India

Abstract

Well preserved leaves discovered from the Early Permian sequence of Barakar Formation of Pench Valley Coalfield, Satpura Gondwana Basin demonstrate the earliest occurrence of taeniopteroid leaves in Lower Gondwana formations. Such leaves are mostly recorded from the Late Permian sequence of Raniganj Formation and assigned to different genera, Taeniopteris Brongniart, Macrotaeniopteris Schimper and Rhabdotaenia Pant. The review of all the known records, the examination of type and figured specimens and present study indicate that plausibly all the taeniopteroid leaves of Lower Gondwana belong to the genus Rhabdotaenia Pant (1958) and the species, Rhabdotaenia danaeoides (Royle) Pant, Rhabdotaenia harkini Pant and Rhabdotaenia fibrosa Pant are characterized by large sized leaves whereas new species Rhabdotaenia pantii sp. nov. is instituted for small size-obovate shaped leaves discovered from the New Sethia open cast mine of Pench Valley Coalfield, Madhya Pradesh.