The Carboniferous (Serpukhovian) macroflora from the “Coteaux du Pont Barré”, Beaulieu-sur-Layon (Maine-et-Loire), South of the Armorican Massif, France

International audienceThe “Coteaux du Pont Barré” in Beaulieu-sur-Layon is a Regional Natural Reserve which is home to exceptional flora and fauna. Recently fossil plants have been discovered at the site adding to its natural heritage significance. The exposure which is part of the “Sillon Houiller de la Basse-Loire” contains Serpukhovian-age (330–320 Ma) remains of sphenophytes, ferns, and lyginopteridopsid and cycadopsid pteridosperms, which are described for the first time as well as the geology of the site. Most Carboniferous macroflora previously described from the Maine-et-Loire has been based on ex situ specimens from now abandoned and inaccessible coal mines. The newly described macroflora shows evidence of in situ remains and differs somewhat in composition from those reported from the coal workings, especially in the total absence of lycopsids and Calymmotheca pteridosperms, and instead having abundant medullosalean foliage (Neuralethopteris). The co-occurrence of Sphenopteris elegans and Neuralethopteris densifolia suggests a slightly younger age compared to the macrofloras documented from the coal-bearing deposits. However, this could be an ecological consequence of the flora growing in better-drained substrate habitats

Dataset S8: Oxfordiana motturii gen. et sp. nov. supplemental information (SRXMT data for slide BU 5266.37)

Dataset S8. SRXMT 8-bit BMP tomographic dataset of slide BU 5266.37. The dataset consists of 400 8-bit bitmap images compressed as a ZIP archive. Image brightness/contrast optimized and despeckling applied. Note that images from the tomographic stack beginning and end, without specimen data present, have not been included. [ZIP/BMP format 3.9 GB

Dataset S4: Oxfordiana motturii gen. et sp. nov. supplemental information (SRXMT data for BU 5265.2)

<p><strong>Dataset S4.</strong> SRXMT 8-bit BMP tomographic dataset of BU5265.2. The dataset consists of 1200 8-bit bitmap images compressed as a ZIP archive. Image brightness/contrast optimized and despeckling applied. Note that images from the tomographic stack beginning and end, without specimen data present, have not been included. [ZIP/BMP format 10.6 GB]</p