Taeniopteris is an extinct form genus of Mesozoic vascular plant leaves, perhaps representing those of cycads, bennettitaleans, or marattialean ferns. The form genus is almost certainly a polyphyletic category for unfertile leaves of a certain shape ("taeniopterids") which cannot be assigned to specific groups due to a lack of information on cuticle or spore structures. The leaves are simple, with a strong central vein (rhachis) and an unbroken margin. The central vein leads to nearly perpendicular lateral veins, which may be slightly divided or undivided. The shape of the leaf is variable, but often elongated and smooth-edged. "Taeniopterid" leaves with bennettitalean-type cuticle are placed in the form genus Nilssoniopteris, while those with cycad-type cuticle are placed within Nilssonia and related genera. Some fertile "taeniopterids" preserve spore packages, and can be assigned to marattialean ferns.[1]
| Taeniopteris | |
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| Taeniopteris fossils (USNM 596265 and 596287), National Museum of Natural History | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Genus: | †Taeniopteris Brongniart, 1828 |
| Species | |
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See text | |
Taeniopteris was named by Brongniart (1828) from an illustration of a Middle Jurassic leaf from Oxfordshire, as published by Sternberg (1823). This Oxfordshire specimen defined the type species, Taeniopteris vittata.[2][3][4] The largest and broadest "taeniopterid" leaves are named as the form genus Macrotaeniopteris, which also represents cycad or bennettitalean leaves without preserved cuticle.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b van Konijnenburg-van Cittert, Johanna H.A.; Pott, Christian; Cleal, Christopher J.; Zijlstra, Gea (2017). "Differentiation of the fossil leaves assigned to Taeniopteris, Nilssoniopteris and Nilssonia with a comparison to similar genera". Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology. 237: 100–106. doi:10.1016/j.revpalbo.2016.11.009.
- ^ Pott, Christian; Launis, Ahti (2015-01-01). "Taeniopteris novomundensis sp. nov. – "cycadophyte" foliage from the Carnian of Switzerland and Svalbard reconsidered: How to use Taeniopteris ?". Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen. 275 (1): 19–31. doi:10.1127/njgpa/2015/0446. ISSN 0077-7749. S2CID 128980384.
- ^ Zijlstra, Gea; van Konijnenburg-van Cittert, Johanna H.A; Cleal, Christopher J. (2016). "(2438–2439) Proposal to conserve the names Taeniopteris and T. vittata with a conserved type (fossil Tracheophyta : ' Taeniopterides ')". Taxon. 65 (2): 399–400. doi:10.12705/652.30. ISSN 0040-0262.
- ^ Cleal, C. J.; Rees, P. M. (2003). "The Middle Jurassic flora from Stonesfield, Oxfordshire, UK". Palaeontology. 46 (4): 739–801. doi:10.1111/1475-4983.00319. ISSN 0031-0239. S2CID 129569932.