Neviusia dunthornei
Encyclopedia
Neviusia dunthornei is an extinct
species
of flowering plant
in the Rosaceae
family. The species is solely known from the early Eocene
, Ypresian
stage, Allenby formation Lacustrine
deposits near the town of Princeton, British Columbia
.
, number "UWBM 54169", and the paratype
number "UWBM 97148". Both specimens are preserved in the paleobotanical
collections housed in the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture
, part of the University of Washington
in Seattle, Washington
, USA. The species was described from the two leaf specimens both found at the One Mile Creek locality, UWBM number 53355 in 1991 by Wesley Wehr and Peter Dunthorne. This locality is placed in the early Eocene Allenby Formation,designated the type locality
.The Allenby Formation is part of the Eocene Okanogan Highlands floras which span from the Klondike Mountain Formation
in Ferry County, Washington north west to Driftwood Canyon Provincial Park
near Smithers, British Columbia
.
The specimens were studied by paleobotanists Melanie L. DeVore and Steven M. Moore of Georgia College and State University, Kathleen B. Pigg of Arizona State University
and Wesley C. Wehr of the Burke Museum. Melanie DeVore and coauthors published the 2004 type description for N. dunthornei in the journal Rhodora
. Melanie DeVore and coauthors chose the specific name
dunthornei, in honor of Peter Dunthorne of Sedro-Woolley, Washington
in recognition of the collecting work throughout the Okanagan highlands which he helped and participated with.
The holotype of Neviusia dunthornei is a complete leaf
though the leaf blade is folded near the base, while the paratype is more fragmentary. Together the two compression-impression fossil
leaves, preserved in light green-grey shale
display the leaf shape, margin, and morphology of the vein structure and teeth. The overall morphology and structure of the N. dunthornei leaves compare to the living species known as the Shasta snow-wreath (N. cliftonii
), being broadly ovate, with secondary veins subopposite and a similar overall vein patterning. The leaf margins are serrate with two to three orders of teeth present. Unlike N. dunthornei the leaves of N. alabamensis
are in general more elongate with finer teeth and secondary veins which are more alternate. N. dunthornei differs from both modern genera in the leaves having an overall thicker midrib.
The presence of Neviusia in the Eocene Okanogan Highlands floras suggests the tribe Kerrieae originated in Asia and radiated to North America but did not become a major floristic component. This is supported by the absence of any Kerrieae tribe genera in the Mississippi embayment Eocene formations such as the Claiborne Formation.
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
in the Rosaceae
Rosaceae
Rosaceae are a medium-sized family of flowering plants, including about 2830 species in 95 genera. The name is derived from the type genus Rosa. Among the largest genera are Alchemilla , Sorbus , Crataegus , Cotoneaster , and Rubus...
family. The species is solely known from the early Eocene
Eocene
The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
, Ypresian
Ypresian
In the geologic timescale the Ypresian is the oldest age or lowest stratigraphic stage of the Eocene. It spans the time between and , is preceded by the Thanetian age and is followed by the Eocene Lutetian age....
stage, Allenby formation Lacustrine
Lacustrine
Lacustrine means "of a lake" or "relating to a lake".Specifically, it may refer to:*Lacustrine plain*Lacustrine delta-Fish:*Lacustrine goby , a type of small fish found in Philippine waters belonging to the Gobiidae family, known in Tagalog as dulong-See also:*Fluvial - of or relating a...
deposits near the town of Princeton, British Columbia
Princeton, British Columbia
Princeton is a small town in the Similkameen region of southern British Columbia, Canada. It lies just east of the Cascade Mountains, which continue south into Washington, Oregon and California. The Tulameen and Similkameen Rivers converge here...
.
History and classification
Neviusia dunthornei is known from only two fossils, the holotypeHolotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
, number "UWBM 54169", and the paratype
Paratype
Paratype is a technical term used in the scientific naming of species and other taxa of organisms. The exact meaning of the term paratype when it is used in zoology is not the same as the meaning when it is used in botany...
number "UWBM 97148". Both specimens are preserved in the paleobotanical
Paleobotany
Paleobotany, also spelled as palaeobotany , is the branch of paleontology or paleobiology dealing with the recovery and identification of plant remains from geological contexts, and their use for the biological reconstruction of past environments , and both the evolutionary history of plants, with a...
collections housed in the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture
Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture
The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture has been a Washington state museum since 1899. It is located at the University of Washington campus at the intersection of N.E. 45th Street and 17th Avenue N.E. in Seattle, Washington, USA, in the University District. It is the only major natural...
, part of the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, USA. The species was described from the two leaf specimens both found at the One Mile Creek locality, UWBM number 53355 in 1991 by Wesley Wehr and Peter Dunthorne. This locality is placed in the early Eocene Allenby Formation,designated the type locality
Type locality (geology)
Type locality , also called type area or type locale, is the where a particular rock type, stratigraphic unit, fossil or mineral species is first identified....
.The Allenby Formation is part of the Eocene Okanogan Highlands floras which span from the Klondike Mountain Formation
Klondike Mountain Formation
The Klondike Mountain Formation is an early Eocene geologic formation that records the sedimentation in the southern most of a string of highland subtropical/Temperate lakes in Washington state and British Columbia. The formation is best known for exceptionally well preserved plant and insect fossils...
in Ferry County, Washington north west to Driftwood Canyon Provincial Park
Driftwood Canyon Provincial Park
Driftwood Canyon Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. Driftwood Canyon Provincial Park covers 23 ha of the Bulkley River Valley, on the east side of Driftwood Creek, a tributary of the Bulkley River, 10 km northeast of the town of Smithers. The park is accessible from...
near Smithers, British Columbia
Smithers, British Columbia
Smithers is a town located in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, approximately halfway between Prince George and Prince Rupert. Smithers is located in the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako....
.
The specimens were studied by paleobotanists Melanie L. DeVore and Steven M. Moore of Georgia College and State University, Kathleen B. Pigg of Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
and Wesley C. Wehr of the Burke Museum. Melanie DeVore and coauthors published the 2004 type description for N. dunthornei in the journal Rhodora
Rhodora (journal)
Rhodora is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the New England Botanical Club. It is issued four times a year and was established in 1899. According to the Journal Citation Reports, its 2009 impact factor is 0.200. The editor-in-chief is Elizabeth Farnsworth .-External links:*...
. Melanie DeVore and coauthors chose the specific name
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
dunthornei, in honor of Peter Dunthorne of Sedro-Woolley, Washington
Sedro-Woolley, Washington
Sedro-Woolley is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The population was 10,540 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Mount Vernon–Anacortes, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
in recognition of the collecting work throughout the Okanagan highlands which he helped and participated with.
The holotype of Neviusia dunthornei is a complete leaf
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
though the leaf blade is folded near the base, while the paratype is more fragmentary. Together the two compression-impression fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
leaves, preserved in light green-grey shale
Shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering...
display the leaf shape, margin, and morphology of the vein structure and teeth. The overall morphology and structure of the N. dunthornei leaves compare to the living species known as the Shasta snow-wreath (N. cliftonii
Neviusia cliftonii
Neviusia cliftonii is a rare species of shrub in the rose family which is known by the common name Shasta snow-wreath. It is endemic to Shasta County, California, where it is known from fewer than 20 occurrences in the mountains around Lake Shasta....
), being broadly ovate, with secondary veins subopposite and a similar overall vein patterning. The leaf margins are serrate with two to three orders of teeth present. Unlike N. dunthornei the leaves of N. alabamensis
Neviusia alabamensis
Neviusia alabamensis is a perrenial ornamental plant, which is native to the United States where it occurs in several southeastern states. It is one of three species in the genus Neviusia, the others being the California endemic species, Neviusia cliftonii, and the extinct species Neviusia...
are in general more elongate with finer teeth and secondary veins which are more alternate. N. dunthornei differs from both modern genera in the leaves having an overall thicker midrib.
The presence of Neviusia in the Eocene Okanogan Highlands floras suggests the tribe Kerrieae originated in Asia and radiated to North America but did not become a major floristic component. This is supported by the absence of any Kerrieae tribe genera in the Mississippi embayment Eocene formations such as the Claiborne Formation.