''Cladophlebis'' is an extinct

form genus Form classification is the classification of organisms based on their morphology, which does not necessarily reflect their biological relationships. Form classification, generally restricted to palaeontology, reflects uncertainty; the goal of s ...

fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except t ...

, used to refer to

Paleozoic The Paleozoic (or Palaeozoic) Era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic Eon. The name ''Paleozoic'' ( ;) was coined by the British geologist Adam Sedgwick in 1838 by combining the Greek words ''palaiós'' (, "old") and ' ...

and

Mesozoic The Mesozoic Era ( ), also called the Age of Reptiles, the Age of Conifers, and colloquially as the Age of the Dinosaurs is the second-to-last era of Earth's geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceo ...

fern leaves that have "fern fronds with

pinnules A leaflet (occasionally called foliole) in botany is a leaf-like part of a compound leaf. Though it resembles an entire leaf, a leaflet is not borne on a main plant stem or branch, as a leaf is, but rather on a petiole or a branch of the leaf. Co ...

that are attached to the

rachis In biology, a rachis (from the grc, ῥάχις [], "backbone, spine") is a main axis or "shaft". In zoology and microbiology In vertebrates, ''rachis'' can refer to the series of articulated vertebrae, which encase the spinal cord. In this c ...

, and have a median vein that runs to the apex of the pinnule, and veins from that are curved and dichotomise". By convention this genus is not used to refer to fossil ferns from the

Cenozoic The Cenozoic ( ; ) is Earth's current geological era, representing the last 66million years of Earth's history. It is characterised by the dominance of mammals, birds and flowering plants, a cooling and drying climate, and the current configura ...

. Ferns with this morphology belong to several families, including

Osmundaceae Osmundaceae (royal fern family) is a family of ferns containing four to six extant genera and 18–25 known species. It is the only living family of the order Osmundales in the class Polypodiopsida (ferns) or in some classifications the only ord ...

Dicksoniaceae Dicksoniaceae is a group of tropical, subtropical and warm temperate ferns, treated as a family in the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), and counting 30-40 species. Alternatively, the family may be sunk into a very broa ...

and

Schizaeaceae Schizaeaceae is a family of ferns in the order Schizaeales. In the Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group classification of 2016 (PPG I), it includes only two genera. Alternatively, two families kept separate in PPG I, Lygodiaceae and Anemiaceae, may be ...

. Ferns with this morphology are common during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic in both the northern and southern hemispheres.''Cladophlebis''
at

Fossilworks Fossilworks is a portal which provides query, download, and analysis tools to facilitate access to the Paleobiology Database The Paleobiology Database is an online resource for information on the distribution and classification of fossil animals ...

.org

Species

There were many species of ''Cladophlebis'', including: ''C. akhtashensis, C. arctica, C. browniana, C. denticulata, C. dunberi, C. haiburnensis, C. heterophylla, C. hirta, C. impressa, C. kurtzi, C. lobifolia, C. nebbensis, C. patagonica, C. phlebopteris, C. porsildi, C. readi, C. remota, C. retallackii, C. roessertii, C. septentrionalis, C. simplicima, C. spectabilis, C. tenuis, C. wyomingensis,'' and ''C. yanschinii''.

Distribution

Fossils of ''Cladophlebis'' have been found in many locations around the world, among others in the

Valle Alto Formation The Valle Alto Formation ( es, Formación Valle Alto, Jva) is a geological formation of the Central Ranges of the Colombian Andes. The formation is composed of shales, sandstones and conglomerates and dates to the Late Jurassic period. Ammonit ...

of Caldas and the Caballos Formation of Tolima, Colombia, and the

Winton Formation The Winton Formation is a Cretaceous geological formation in central-western Queensland, Australia. It is late Albian to early Turonian in age. The formation blankets large areas of central-western Queensland. It consists of sedimentary rocks suc ...

Eromanga Basin The Eromanga Basin is a large Mesozoic sedimentary basin in central and northern Australia. It covers parts of Queensland, the Northern Territory, South Australia, and New South Wales, and is a major component of the Great Artesian Basin. The E ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia.

References

Bibliography

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External links

*
''Cladophlebis austalis''
Natural History Museum
Range map for ''Cladophlebis''
from the PaleoBiology Database {{Taxonbar, from=Q5124948 † Cladophlebis Permian plants Triassic plants Jurassic plants Cretaceous plants Permian first appearances Cretaceous extinctions Mesozoic Antarctica Mesozoic life of Asia Mesozoic life of Europe Mesozoic life of North America Prehistoric plants of North America Mesozoic life of South America Prehistoric plants of South America Triassic Argentina Jurassic Argentina Fossils of Argentina Triassic Chile Jurassic Chile Fossils of Chile Jurassic Colombia Fossils of Colombia Fossil taxa described in 1849