Fruits of Anacardiaceae from the Paleogene of the Paris Basin, France

Premise of research. The Anacardiaceae family is distributed throughout the vegetated continents. The fossil record indicates extensive diversification of the family during the Paleogene and, in particular, during the Eocene. Despite the abundant fossil record of this period, there are only a few reliable anacardiaceous fossils in the Paris Basin. Here, we aim to document newly recognized fossils of Anacardiaceae from the Paris Basin, understand their paleoecology, and discuss their biogeographic history.
Methodology. Thirty-three lignite fruits were examined from two sites, one pre- and one post-the Paleocene-Eocene boundary, i.e., Petit Pâtis (Rivecourt) and Le Quesnoy (Houdancourt). The specimens were photographed and anatomy was studied using computed tomography and histological sections. Comparative analyses were undertaken using available descriptions of fossil and modern fruits of Anacardiaceae.
Pivotal results. A new species is described, Cyrtocarpa biapertura sp. nov., based ..., CT-scan via the AST-RX platform of the Museum national d’Histoire naturelle (Paris, France, MNHN) was used for the Rivecourt specimen Riv-PPB 17 to reconstruct a 3D model, and gain access to the internal organization, the reconstruction was made using the software Mimics Innovation Suite. ,