A New Species of Rhodoleia(Hamamelidaceae) from the Upper Pliocene of West Yunnan, China and Comments on Phytogeography and Insect Herbivory  

作　　者：WU Jingyu ZHAO Zhenrui LI Qijia LIU Yusheng(Christopher) XIE Sanping DING Suting SUN Bainian 

机构地区：[1]Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources in Western China (Gansu Province), School of Earth Sciences, Lanzhou University [2]State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, CAS [3]Don Sundquist Center of Excellence in Paleontology, Department of Biological Sciences, East Tennessee State University

出　　处：《Acta Geologica Sinica(English Edition)》2015年第5期1440-1452,共13页地质学报（英文版）

基　　金：granted by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos.41302009, 41402008, 41172022 and 41172021);the Foundation of the State Key Laboratory of Paleobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, CAS (No.133102);the NSF EAR-0746105 to YSL

摘　　要：In Europe, fossil fruits and seeds of Rhodoleia（Hamamelidaceae） have been described from the Upper Cretaceous to the Miocene, whereas no fossil record of Rhodoleia has been reported in Asia, where the modern species occur.Herein, 21 fossil leaves identified as Rhodoleia tengchongensis sp.nov.are described from the Upper Pliocene of Tengchong County, Yunnan Province, Southwest China.The fossils exhibit elliptic lamina with entire margins, simple brochidodromous major secondary veins, mixed percurrent intercostal tertiary veins, and looped exterior tertiaries.The leaf cuticle is characterized by pentagonal or hexagonal cells, stellate multicellular trichomes, and paracytic stomata.The combination of leaf architecture and cuticular characteristics suggests that the fossil leaves should be classified into the genus Rhodoleia.The fossil distributions indicate that the genus Rhodoleia might originate from Central Europe, and that migrated to Asia prior to the Late Pliocene.Additionally, insect damage is investigated, and different types of damage, such as hole feeding, margin feeding, surface feeding, and galling, are observed on the thirteen fossil leaves.Based on the damage frequencies for the fossil and extant leaves, the specific feeding behavior of insects on Rhodoleia trees appears to have been established as early as the Late Pliocene.The high occurrence of Rhodoleia insect herbivory may attract the insect-foraging birds, thereby increasing the probability of pollination.In Europe, fossil fruits and seeds of Rhodoleia（Hamamelidaceae） have been described from the Upper Cretaceous to the Miocene, whereas no fossil record of Rhodoleia has been reported in Asia, where the modern species occur.Herein, 21 fossil leaves identified as Rhodoleia tengchongensis sp.nov.are described from the Upper Pliocene of Tengchong County, Yunnan Province, Southwest China.The fossils exhibit elliptic lamina with entire margins, simple brochidodromous major secondary veins, mixed percurrent intercostal tertiary veins, and looped exterior tertiaries.The leaf cuticle is characterized by pentagonal or hexagonal cells, stellate multicellular trichomes, and paracytic stomata.The combination of leaf architecture and cuticular characteristics suggests that the fossil leaves should be classified into the genus Rhodoleia.The fossil distributions indicate that the genus Rhodoleia might originate from Central Europe, and that migrated to Asia prior to the Late Pliocene.Additionally, insect damage is investigated, and different types of damage, such as hole feeding, margin feeding, surface feeding, and galling, are observed on the thirteen fossil leaves.Based on the damage frequencies for the fossil and extant leaves, the specific feeding behavior of insects on Rhodoleia trees appears to have been established as early as the Late Pliocene.The high occurrence of Rhodoleia insect herbivory may attract the insect-foraging birds, thereby increasing the probability of pollination.

关 键 词：Rhodoleia leaf cuticle phytogeography insect herbivory PLIOCENE Yunnan Province 

分 类 号：Q914[天文地球—古生物学与地层学]