Ferns from the Cretaceous of Alexander Island, Antarctica: Implications for Cretaceous phytogeography of the Southern Hemisphere

Six new records of ferns from the late Albian flora of Alexander Island, Antarctic Peninsula, provide further evidence for a widespread Cretaceous Austral flora. Phyllopteroides antarctica sp. nov. is the first record of this genus from Antarctica, extending its range from Australia, New Zealand, and India. It appears that Phyllopteroides forms an important component of eastern Gondwana mid-Cretaceous floras. Further floristic affinities with Australia are supported by the presence of Sphenopteris warragulensis, Microphyllopteris and Coniopteris sp. cf. C. frutiformis. Few southern South American forms can be recognized and these include Sphenopteris sanjuliensis. The Alexander Island flora comprises a mixture of endemic, eastern Gondwanan, and rare South American elements that reflect its position close to a major floristic boundary.