This is Mazon Monday post #163. What's your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:[email protected].
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Today, we have a different variety of Neuropteris - Neuropteris flexuosa. N. flexuosa is more rare than N. vermicularis. One distinguishing feature is a very large terminal pinnule. It also tends to have denser veins than N. vermicularis. This species has been found in other localities, including Okmulgee, Oklahoma, Alabama, and its type locality in Germany.
N. vermicularis was described by Kaspar Maria von Sternberg (1761-1838) in 1826. He was a leading scientist in Europe during the early 1800's, who knew and worked with Alexander von Humboldt. His book "A Survey of Saxifrages in Pictures" was based on his own materials collected on scientific trips primarily to Bavaria.
1838 painting of Sternberg by Alexander Clarot
Kaspar Maria von Sternberg (born on January 6th, 1761 at Březina Castle) was one of the leading scientists of the first half of the 19th century, with a special interest in botany, geology and paleontology, and is considered as one of the founders of paleobotany. He is the author of an extensive and precious collection of minerals, fossils and herbs that became the core collection of the National Museum in Prague, founded by Kaspar Maria von Sternberg.
Kaspar Maria was born the eighth and last child (third son) of Johann von Sternberg and Anna Josefa Krakovská of Kolovraty, into a not wealthy Czech aristocratic family of Sternbergs.
Neuropteris flexuosa appears on page 203 of "A Comprehensive Guide to the Fossil Flora of Mazon Creek" by Jack Wittry.
Neuropteris flexuosa Sternberg, 1826
1826. Neuropteris flexuosa Sternberg: p. 16, pl. 32, fig. 2
1870. Neuropteris capitata Lesquereux: (partial text) p. 383, pl. 8, fig. 9; non pl. 7, fig. 1
1879-80. Neuropteris plicata (non Sternberg); Lesquereux: p. 96, pl. 10, figs. 1-4
1925. Neuropteris capitata Lesquereux; Noé: p. 14, pl. 22, fig. 2, non figs. 1, 3
1958. Neuropteris capitata Lesquereux; Langford: p. 207, fig. 362
1958. Neuropteris plicata (non Sternberg); Langford: p. 207, fig. 361
1959. Neuropteris ovataformaflexuosa; Crookall: p. 158, pl. 37, figs. 1-3; pl. 38 figs. 1-3; pl. 49; figs. 5, 6, pl. 50, figs. 3-5 1969. Neuropteris ovata forma flexuosa; Darrah: p. 106, pl. 73, fig. 1
1979. Neuropteris flexuosa; Janssen: p. 150, fig. 139DESCRIPTION: The pinnae are linear. The rachis is thin and often hidden by the overlapping pinnules. The pinnules are oblique and oblong at their bases. The basiscopic side has a small auricle, while the acroscopic side is rounded. The venation is well marked and fine; at the margin, there are 25 to 30 veins per centimeter. The mid- vein is weakly marked, disappearing near the middle in well-developed pinnules. In smaller pinnules, all veins rise from the pinnule's point of attachment and a midline is marked by a weak crease. The lateral veins are thin, arched, and usually divide three times in large pinnules that display a midvein, but only twice in the smaller ones that lack a midvein. The terminal pinnule is symmetrical and triangular with rounded corners at the base. The size and shape of the terminal pinnule is generally constant and does not vary with the size of the pinna or lateral pinnules.
REMARKS: Neuropteris flexuosa is rare. This form is often difficult to distinguish from N. vermicularis. In N. flexuosa, the veins are denser and the terminal pinnule is of a consistently larger size. In addition, the pinnules are more sessile, not constricted in the middle, and often overlap the rather thin rachis, giv- ing it a flexuous appearance. Also see N. ovata.
Specimens
From georgesbasement.com
As Neuropteris plicata
As Neuropteris capitata
From Wikimedia
From "A Comprehensive Guide to the Fossil Flora of Mazon Creek" by Jack Wittry.
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