Angiosperm pollen grains from the Cuayuca Formation (Late Eocene to Early Oligocene), Puebla, Mexico

Abstract

Systematic descriptions and illustrations of the best preserved angiosperm pollen grains (Monocotyledonae or Liliopsida: n= 7 and Dicotyledonae or Magnoliopsida: n= 41) recovered from Cuayuca Formation (late Eocene-early Oligocene), Puebla State, Mexico are provided, some of them of chronostratigraphic importance (Aglaoreidia pristina, Armeria, Bombacacidites, Corsinipollenites, Eucommia, Favitricolporites, Intratriporopollenites, Lymingtonia, Magnaperiporites, Malvacipollis spinulosa, Margocolporites aff. vanwijhei, Momipites coryloides, Momipites tenuipolus, Mutisiapollis, Ranunculacidites operculatus, and Thomsonipollis sabinetownensis). Taxa identified from the Cuayuca Formation suggest local semiarid vegetation such as tropical deciduous forest, chaparral, grassland, and arid tropical scrub, in which angiosperms are one of the main representatives. Nevertheless, temperate taxa from Pinus forest and cloud forest were also registered from regional vegetation. It is noticeable that at the present time, such taxa are well represented in the vegetation of the Balsas River Basin, which would suggest the existence of this type of flora in the Cuayuca region since the Oligocene.