Two new Senotheca (Glossopteridales) species from the Sydney Basin, Australia, and a review of the genus

The fertile glossopterid Senotheca is represented by linear fructifications with broad wings attached to the midribs of Glossopteris leaves. The architecture of the reproductive structures supports their placement within the Dictyopteridiaceae. The genus is emended, the validity of two established species (Senotheca murulidihensis and S. kingii) is confirmed, two new species (Senotheca keiraensis and S. magna) are formally defined and one taxon characterized by an attached leaf with coarse venation is retained under open nomenclature. Senotheca is distributed from northeastern India to eastern Australia and ranges from the (?)Artinskian to Changhsingian but the biostratigraphic utility of the genus is constrained by its rarity. Several other reports of the genus from Antarctica and southeastern Australia remain doubtful. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.