STUDIES ON THE UPPER GONDWANA OF KUTCH-

3. OTOZAMITES IMBRICATUS FEISTMANTEL

S. K. ROY
Birbal Salmi Institute of Palaeobotany, Lucknow

ABSTRACT near the upper basal angle, lower basal

The present paper describes the cuticular margin of the pinna above partly covers
structure of Otozamites imbricatus Feistmantel. the auricle of the pinna below. Veins
The cuticle resembles most the cuticle of O. venosus diverging from the point of attachment,
Harris (1949) and O. raciborskii Reyman6wa (1963). 6-8 in number, dichotomizing at all levels.
Apex not well preserved, seems to be
INTRODUCTION somewhat rounded or falciform.
Upper cuticle differentiated into rect-
angular cells along the veins, mostly 2
Otozamites imbricatus were collect- (or 3) cells wide, cells in between quadr-
SEVERAL fragmentary specimenS' of
angular, irregularly packed, sometimes tend
ed from Loharia (Kutch) by Wynne
(1872). Out of these only one specimen to be serially arranged. Lateral- and end-
was figured by Feistmantel (1876). He walls sinuous, loops prominent. Surface-wall
described only the external character of smooth.
the fossil and did not give any detail of the Lower cuticle differentiated into wide
cuticular structure. stomatiferous and narrow non-stomatife-
The present observations on the cuticular rous zones. Cells along the vein longer
feature of O. imbricatus Feistm. is based than the upper surface, 2-4 cells wide,
on a fragmentary carbonized specimen arranged mostly in three, sometimes in
collected by me from Trambau in 1960. four vertical rows near bifurcations.
In the external feature my specimen is Lateral- and end-walls sinuous. Surface-
indistinguishable from the one described wall with a feebly developed papilla near
earlier by Feistmantel (I.e.). As all the the centre. Ordinary epidermal cells within
specimens from Lohai'ia are preserved in the stomatal bands like the cells of the
the form of impressions, no cuticular pre- upper cuticle, but surface-wall of most of
paration could be made out of those speci- the cells with small circular thickening
mens. near the centre. Stomatal bands with
2-4 rows of stomata, mostly 3, stomata
DESCRIPTION irregularly scattered, closely spaced, mostly
transversely orientated, some oblique.
Otozamites imbricatus (Feistmantel) Subsidiary cells slightly thicker than the
emended ordinary epidermal cells, devoid of papilla.
Guard-cells well cutinized, slightly sunken
PI. 1, Figs. 1-5; Text-figs. A-C
but not placed in pits, aperture slit-like
or oval.
1876 - Otozamites imbricatus Feistm., Locality - Loharia and Trambau, Kutch.
Feis1mantel, Falaeont. indo 2 (1), p. 48. Horizon - Umia Stage, Jabalpur Series.
1920 - Ptilophyllum acutifolium Morris, Collection - Lectotype no. 4/812 of the
Seward & Sahni, Palaeont. indo 8 (I), p. 21. Geological Survey of India and Cotype
1963 - Otozamites bellus Roy, Roy, no. 31926 of the Birbal Sahni Institute of
Abst. 50th. indo Sci. Congr., p. 397. Palaeobotany, Lucknow.
Emended Diagnosis - Frond pinnate,
exceeding 8·5 cm in length. Rachis thick. COMPARISON AND DISCUSSION
Pinnae alternate, closely set, imbricate,
falcate, approximate at the hase, attached Among the other known species of
at an angle of 80° by a small portion near Otozamites from the Upper Gondwanas of
the middle of pinna base. Pinnae base India, O. bengalensis (Oldh. & MorL) Feistm.
asymmetrical, auriculate, auricle developed and O. parallelus Feistm. are comparable
215
 216 THE PALAEOBOTA?\IST

A c
• ,'" .,', I ',', f .". , '.'

It I "' , • 'I I " f I' •

• I I ' • II • ,
". I
' Of' I I
•r ' I f \

' .. " t.·. ", ,",'

': " I, ',1 ',.".'. I',' f f" '.
I. I I I '. I I" I ••• '

.. • ~. I

, ••• ",I • • I I: ' I' "

• I •
. . ,- .. , '.
B
I • \. •

A, one stoma enlarged No. 31926-1. X 500. B, distribution of stomata in 1 sq. mm. X 40. C, pinnae
showing venation. X 5.

in their external features with the specimen opemng as IS found in O. graphicus. In

described here. Like O. bengalensis, in this character the cuticle of O. imbricatus
the present case also the upper basal angle is quite distinct from most of the typical
of the pinnae are auriculate and the apex species of Otozamites and thus essentially
is obtuse. But O. bengalensis has short, similar to O. venosus Harris (1949) from
rhomboidal pinnae in contrast to falcate the Jurassic of Yorkshire, O. bechei (Brongn.)
pinnae of O. imbricatus. The falcate pinnae -Harris (1961) from the Rheatic of Ireland
O. imbricatus is comparable to O. parallelus, and O. raciborshii Reymanowna (1963)
but the former species does not have a recorded from the Jurassic of Poland.
cordate base like the latter. Moreover, Like O. venosus the upper cuticle of O.
O. parallelus has 12-14 veins per pinnae imbricatus has no hair or papilla, the course
as opposed to 6-8 veins in O. imbricatus. of veins are well marked and the lower
Many species of Otoza1'llites are known cuticle has wide stomatiferous bands alter-
by their cuticular structure from Scoresby nating \vith narrow, non-stomatiferous
Sound, Greenland, Mesozoic rocks of strips. Moreover, in both O. venOS~tS and
Yorkshire, Ireland and Poland. In pinnae O. imbricatus a feebly developed papilla
shape and general form O. imbricatus is is seen near the cen tre in most or the cells
similar to O. graphicus Harris (1949) but of the lower cuticle. In external features
is markedly different in its cuticular struc- also O. imbricatus and O. venosus resemble
ture. In O. imbricatus the stomata are in many ways. Both the species have
not sunken inside an oval-pit having stellate falcate pinnae whose upper basal angle is
TUE PALAEOBOTAl'lST, \' OL. 13 ROY - J:'L\'fE 1

2
 ROY - ST UDIES OK THE UP PER GONDW AN A OF KUTCH - 3 217

auriculate and they are attached by a small in O. beehei. O. raeiborskii resembles O.

portion near the middle of the pinna base. imbrieatus in many characters. In both
But O. imbrieatus differs from O. venosus these species the lower cuticle has stomati-
in its external features and in some respects ferous and non-stomatiferous bands,
in the cuticular structure. Whereas in stomata within each band often forming
O. venosus each pinna has exceedingly fine longitudinal irregular rows and the outer
crowded veins, in O. irnbrieatus they are wall of the subsidiary cells sinuous. But
only 6-8 in number. The latter species O. raeiborskii always has a papilla on the
differs from the former in possessing inner wall of the subsidiary cells overhang-
broader stomatal bands as well. O. imbri- ing the pit, a character which is ab3ent in
eatus resembles O. beehei in possessing O. imbrieatus. Therefore in the absence
papilla in the centre of each cell on the of the typical stomatal pit of Otozamites-
lower cuticle in the non-stomatiferous type, the cuticle of O. imbrieattJs, O. venosus,
strips. But O. imbrieatus does not possess O. beehei and O. raeiborskii are more like
a papillae in the subsidiary cells as is seen Ptilophyllum.

REFERENCES

FEISTMANTEL, O. (1876). Fossil flora of the Idem (1949). On the Jurassic flora of Yorkshire.
Gondwana system. Palaeont. indica 2(1): Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. Ser. 12, 2: 561-585.
1-80. Idem (1961). On Otozamites bechei from the Irish
Idem (1879). The fossil flora of the Upper Raeatic. Proc. 1'OY. Irish Acad. 61(18): 339-
Gondwanas on the Mad,ras Coast. Ibid 1(4): 344.
191-224. REYMANOWNA, M. (1963). Review of investi-
HARRIS, T. M. (1932). The fossil flora of Scoresby gations on Polish Jurassic flora. A eta Palaeo-
Sound, East Greenland. 111edd. 01n. Gronl. botanica 4(2): 28-31.
85(2): 79-82.

EXPLANATION OF PLATE 1
Otozamites imbricatus Feistm.

1. Otozamites imbricatus Feistm. No. 31926. X 4. Lower cuticle, showing two stomatal bands
1. and a nonstomatiferous strip. SI. No. 31926-1.
2. The above specimen magnified showing x 150.
venation. x 5. 5. Stomata and adjacent cells. 51. No. 31926-1.
3. Upper cuticle. SI. No. 31926-1. x 150. X 500.