The Middle Devonian plant assemblage from Dechra A茂t Abdallah (Central Morocco) revisited

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• 作者：Cyrille Prestianni^a ; ^b ; ^{Cyrille.prestianni@naturalsciences.be} ; Brigitte Meyer-Berthaud^a ; ^b ; ^{meyerberthaud@cirad.fr} ; Romain Blanchard^a ; ^b ; ^c ; Martin Rü ; cklin^d ; Gaë ; l Clé ; ment^e ; Philippe Gerrienne^f
• 关键词：Middle Devonian ; Gondwana ; Morocco ; fossil plants ; Dechra Aï ; t Abdallah
• 刊名：Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology
• 出版年：2012
• 期刊代码：80_00346667
• 类别：ear
• 出版时间：1 July, 2012
• 卷：179
• 期：Complete
• 页码：44-55
• 文件大小：2768 K

摘要

The composition of the allochthonous flora from Dechra A茂t Abdallah (Central Morocco), initially described by Termier and Termier (1950), is reassessed from newly collected fossil material. Our work provides an updated taxonomic treatment of the plant remains. The flora comprises two lycophytes (including Leclercqia complexa), the probable iridopterid Anapaulia moodyi, and two aneurophytalean progymnosperms: Rellimia sp. and 鈥?em>Aneurophyton鈥?maroccanum. Our revision confirms the Termiers' main conclusions that this Devonian flora is to date the most diverse and best known from Africa. Based on the complete paleontological evidence available from this locality, a Givetian age is as likely as an Eifelian age for the flora. The abundance of plant remains associated with the extreme scarcity of fertile organs may be accounted for by a taphonomic sorting, climatic conditions and/or specific ecological strategies. The flora of Dechra A茂t Abdallah shows similarities with the Middle Devonian floras from the European part of Laurussia. This suggests that the paleogeographical position of Central Morocco permitted exchanges with Laurussia, and infers proximity of the latter with the north-western border of Gondwana during Middle Devonian times.