Fossil plants from Allan and Carapace Nunataks, and from the upper Mill and Shackleton Glaciers, Antarctica

Abstract

Plants from the Permian and Triassic of Allan Nunatak, Victoria Land, East Antarctica, and Triassic plants from Mt Bumstead at the head of the Mill Glacier and from the Shackleton Glacier, are considered along with Jurassic plants from Carapace Nunatak. From the Permian, Glossopteris communis Feistmantel, G. cordata Dana, and Cistella stricta Plumstead are described; and from the Triassic, Dicroidium odontopteroides (Morris) Gothan, D. feistmanteli (Johnston) Gothan, D. dutoitii sp. nov., cf. Diplasiophyllum acutum (Walkom) Frenguelli, cf. “Johnstonia” trilobita Jones and de Jersey, Xylopteris elongata (Carruthers) Frenguelli, and Rissikia media (Tenison Woods) Townrow. Jurassic plants are Otozamites antarcticus Plumstead, Nothodacrium warrenii Townrow, Masculostrobus warrenii Townrow, with Tsugaepollenites cf. trilobatus (Balme) Dettmann, and an undescribed species of Brachyphyllum Brongniart associated with pollen of Classopollis Pflug. It is concluded that the Jurassic plants are probably Middle Jurassic, the Triassic ones Upper or late Middle Triassic, and the Permian ones probably Upper Permian. Attention is drawn to the fact that to date there is no Lower Triassic flora known from Antarctica. The Allan Nunatak succession is compared with the Beardmore — Shackleton Glacier succession, and some similarities with the Tasmanian Triassic are pointed out.