Collinsonites schopfii gen. et sp nov., a herbaceous lycopsid from the Upper Permian of Antarctica

A new lycopsid morphotaxon, Collinsonites schopfii gen. et sp. nov., is described from an Upper Permian deposit on Mount Achernar, in the central Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctica. The species is represented by numerous fragments of slender dichotornizing stems. Leaves are <5 mm long, eligulate and arranged in a low spiral. One stem bears leaves with 12-16 delicate spines at the lateral margins. Collinsonites stems represent the first illustrated macrofossil evidence for the presence of herbaceous lycopsids in the Permian of Antarctica. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.