The taphonomic puzzle of Notothylacites filiformis: reinterpretation of bryophyte fossils from the Late Cretaceous of Czechia reveals the co-occurrence of hornworts and liverworts

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00023272%3A_____%2F25%3A10136891" target="_blank" >RIV/00023272:_____/25:10136891 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://academic.oup.com/aob/advance-article/doi/10.1093/aob/mcaf219/8250326" target="_blank" >https://academic.oup.com/aob/advance-article/doi/10.1093/aob/mcaf219/8250326</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcaf219" target="_blank" >10.1093/aob/mcaf219</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

The taphonomic puzzle of Notothylacites filiformis: reinterpretation of bryophyte fossils from the Late Cretaceous of Czechia reveals the co-occurrence of hornworts and liverworts

Original language description

We reinterpret the original Notothylacites filiformis holotype as a conglomerate of two fossils: a hornwort, Notothylacites, and a liverwort, which we designate as a new species Ricciopsis pacltovae sp. nov. Notothylacites filiformis was lectotypified, using material from seven slides and the original drawing, which emphasized a key character - a sporangium with apical longitudinal dehiscence slit containing psilate, trilete spores. Ricciopsis pacltovae, erected based on comparisons with seven described species, is a liverwort that closely resembles extant Riccia, with a prostrate circular thallus consisting of dichotomously branched, linear segments, and up to six dichotomies per branch, each branch with a pronounced narrow medial sulcus. These and other morphological traits distinguish it from previously described species in the genus.Conclusions Notothylacites filiformis is reinterpreted as one of the rare examples of a fossil hornwort sporophyte. Gametophyte material previously assigned to Notothylacites filiformis is assigned to a new fossil liverwort species, Ricciopsis pacltovae. Hornworts frequently grow on wet soil together with Riccia liverworts. The co-occurrence of the two fossil species further highlights the presence of bryophyte diversity in the Late Cretaceous that mirrors extant ecological associations. This study corrects decades of taxonomic confusion, demonstrating how taphonomic mixing can mislead interpretations, and emphasizes the importance of re-examining collections with modern methods.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

10506 - Paleontology

Project

<a href="/en/project/GF23-05142K" target="_blank" >GF23-05142K: The Late Cretaceous Flora of South Bohemia</a><br>

Continuities

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Annals of Botany

ISSN

0305-7364

e-ISSN

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Volume of the periodical

137

Issue of the periodical within the volume

září 2025

Country of publishing house

GB - UNITED KINGDOM

Number of pages

12

Pages from-to

1-12

UT code for WoS article

001588158200001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

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