A New Fossil Species of Nothotsuga from the Mula Basin, Litang County, Sichuan Province and Its Paleoclimate and Paleoecology Significance.

In this paper, we describe a new fossil species, Nothotsuga mulaensis Z. Li & J.L. Dong sp. nov. The discovery of the fossil species was based on well-preserved fossil seed cones that were found in the Mula Basin in Xiamula village, Litang County, Sichuan Province, southwestern China. The shapes of these fossils were characterized by ovate seed cones, rhombic or suborbicular scales with auriculate bases, and the bracts were ligulate-spathulate in shape. This finding suggests that Nothotsuga once had a wide distribution range in China and that it also inhabited the eastern Tibetan Plateau (TP). Nothotsuga mulaensis was distributed in an intermountain lake basin, at altitudes from 2000 to 2300 m, in a warm and humid environment. This finding also suggests that the eastern TP may have provided good habitat for Nothotsuga during the Miocene. In addition, we propose that the uplift, accompanied by the severe cooling and aridification that occurred after the Miocene, caused the disappearance of this species of Nothotsuga in the eastern TP.

Identification of two new species of Meliolinites associated with Lauraceae leaves from the middle Miocene of Fujian, China.

Several studies have investigated both the paleoclimate and the well-preserved fossil remains from the middle Miocene found in China's Fujian Province. This study describes two new species of Meliolinites, including their fungal hyphae, reproductive structures, and spores. The distribution of modern Meliolaceae indicates that they live in warm, humid, subtropical to tropical climates. Moreover, the fossil leaves and the epiphyllous fungal remains, indicate the prevalence of a warm, humid, subtropical to tropical climate in this area during the middle Miocene. In addition, it was observed that the surrounding cells of the fungi found on the uninfected host leaves were normal, whereas the infected host leaves themselves were abnormally dim. These features are a reflection of self-protection, and it can, therefore, be inferred that the host leaves were alive when they were infected. The present study used fossil angiosperm leaves with cuticles obtained from the Fotan sediments from Fujian to investigate not only the taxonomy of the fossils but also to interpret the paleoclimate and paleoecology.

Paliurus Fruits from the Oligocene of South China and Their Phytogeographic Implications.

Paliurus favonii Unger is recognized and described based on fruits from the Oligocene Ningming flora of Guangxi, South China. Characteristics of the present specimens include circular winged fruits that are 10.0-11.5 mm in diameter with a central endocarp at 3.0 to 4.0 mm in diameter. The specimens fall into the morphological range of the fossil species P. favonii, which has been observed in other Cenozoic sites in the Northern Hemisphere. The present discovery represents the lowest latitude distribution of P. favonii in the world, and we are presenting the first P. favonii fossil described with detailed cuticular characteristics from China. Further, this finding demonstrates that the genus existed in the Oligocene Ningming region, South China, and provides new information for understanding the fossil history. The dispersal mode for winged fossils demonstrates that wind dispersal is well-represented in the Oligocene Ningming flora.

A new species of Meliolinites associated with Buxus leaves from the Oligocene of Guangxi, southern China.

A new species of Meliolinites (fossil Meliolaceae), M. buxi sp. nov., is reported from the Oligocene Ningming Formation of Guangxi, South China. The fungus has hyphopodia characteristics of extant Meliolaceae, such as thick-walled, branching hyphae with appressoria and phialides. However, these fossils entirely lack mycelial or perithecial setae and have only a few phialides, thereby distinguishing the new species from most known species. The fungus was discovered on the adaxial and abaxial cuticles of several fossilized Buxus leaves. Thickening and twisting of cell walls in the Buxus leaf cuticle, along with the parasitic feeding strategy of the extant Meliolaceae, suggest that a parasitic interaction between Buxus and M. buxi seems feasible. The distribution of modern Meliolaceae suggests that they live in warm, humid subtropical-tropical climates. It is possible that the presence of M. buxi indicates a similar climatic condition. The co-occurrence of large-leaf Buxus and floristic comparisons of the Ningming assemblage also corroborate this conclusion.