A new coryphoid costapalmate palm leaf from the Maastrichtian-Danian of India
Kaustav Roy, Taposhi Hazra, Manoshi Hazra, Sumana Mahato, Subir Bera, Mahasin Ali Khan
Abstract
Here, we describe a new impressed palm frond from the latest Maastrichtian (late Cretaceous)-earliest Danian (early Palaeocene) sediments of the Deccan Intertrappean beds of Madhya Pradesh, Central India. The diagnostic characters of the recovered fossil specimen are large palmate fan-shaped leaf with well-preserved long costa (costapalmate), plicate, connate leaf segments with prominent mid-vein emerging at an acute angle from costa and parallel secondary lateral veins on either side of mid-vein. The aforesaid leaf morphological features of the Cretaceous specimen suggest its resemblance with those of modern members of the fan palm sub-family Coryphoideae in the Arecaceae. We recognize it as a new species, Sabalites karondiensis Roy, Hazra T et Khan, sp. nov. The present-day distribution of the comparable modern form of above taxon indicates that coryphoid palms may prefer a warm and humid tropical environment during the deposition.