Coniopteris is an extinct genus of Mesozoic fern leaves. It was widespread over both hemispheres during the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous, with over 130 species having been described.[1] While traditionally assumed to have been a member of Dicksoniaceae or a close relative of Thyrsopteris, a 2020 cladistic analysis found it to be a stem group of Polypodiales.[1] Most species of Coniopteris probably had a herbaceous habit.[1] Coniopteris laciniata had tufts of leaves sprouting from intervals of a thin, creeping rhizome.[2] The genus is technically a junior synonym of the little used Polystichites, but was conserved by the ICZN in 2013.[3] Some authors suggest a range of Early Jurassic-early Late Cretaceous for the genus,[1] while others suggest a more expansive range spanning from the Middle Triassic to the Eocene.[4]
Coniopteris | |
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Coniopteris sp. from the Mecsek Coal Formation, Hungary, Hettangian | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Division: | Polypodiophyta |
Class: | Polypodiopsida |
Subclass: | Polypodiidae |
Genus: | †Coniopteris Brongniart 1849 |
Type species | |
Coniopteris murrayana Brongniart 1835
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Species | |
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Synonyms | |
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