Miocene fern spores and pollen grains from the Solimões Basin, Amazon Region, Brazil

ABSTRACT

This work documents fern spores and pollen grains (miospores) recovered from rocks of the Solimões Formation (Solimões Basin), their botanical affinities, ecology and distribution in the Miocene of the Amazon Region. The assemblage of miospores is well preserved and diverse. They are identified, illustrated and assigned to the ten families of ferns and 22 families of spermatophytes. All miospores were identified to the taxonomic level of species except for two taxa (Perinomonoletes and Podocarpidites). The families Pteridaceae and Arecaceae were most representative of ferns and spermatophytes, respectively. This work contributes to the knowledge of the paleoflora and will aid in paleoenvironmental, paleoecological and biostratigraphic interpretations of the Miocene of the Amazon Region.

Keywords
Miocene; miospores; Neogene; palynology; Solimões; vegetation