Triassic Ginkgoales from northern Chile.

Abstract

Fossil Ginkgoalean leaves from two fossiliferous outcrops of La Ternera Formation and one of El Puquén Formation are described as a contribution to the revision of triassic taphofloras from northern Chile. The presence of 11 species, including a new one, Ginkgoites covacevicii sp. nov., is reported. The assemblage has evident gondwanic affinities. The record of species belonging to Ginkgoites as the predominant Ginkgoales in the outcrops of La Ternera Formation (4 species) when compared to the predominance of Sphenobaiera species (5) in the sediments of El Puquén Formation seems noteworthy. The fossil record of species reported in this paper suggests a ladinian-carnian age for the El Puquén strata containing them. The age of the fossiliferous strata of La Ternera Formation, according to the Ginkgoales species collected, is upper triassic; no other precision can be made. The ginkgoalean association in Bahía Los Lobos (El Puquén Formation) suggests fringing lakes as palaeohabitat.