Selaginella jorelisiae A. G. López-García, A. R. Schmidt & L. Regalado sp. nov.

Holotype.

Amber World Museum (Museo Mundo de Ámbar), Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, collection number AWMJC 010004 [Figs 1, 2] (only specimen available). The amber specimen is being arranged for integration into the amber collection of the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural “ Prof. Eugenio de Jesús Marcano, ” Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Etymology.

The specific epithet honors Ms. Jorelis Caridad, Amber World Museum (Dominican Republic), for supporting our research by making the amber inclusion available for study.

Stratigraphic and geographic range.

Lower to early Middle Miocene amber-bearing sediments of the Dominican Republic, approximately 15 to 20 Myr old (Iturralde-Vinent and MacPhee 1996, 2019).

Diagnosis.

Dorsal trophophylls ovate, symmetric, base rounded (Figs 1 B, C, 2 A), slightly carinate, apex aristate (Fig. 1 B, C) and minutely serrate, margins with scattered teeth or cilia. Ventral trophophylls elliptic (Figs 1 D, 2 B), base slightly asymmetric, rounded on both sides, with the basiscopic side more developed, apex apiculate (Figs 1 D, 2 B), margins with the acroscopic proximal third ciliate (Figs 1 E, 2 B), the basiscopic proximal third nearly entire or minutely serrate, and the medial and distal thirds serrate (Figs 1 F, 2 B).

Description.

Rhizophores not preserved. Main stem once branched, branches of 12 and 8.8 mm length. Trophophylls dimorphic (Figs 1, 2). Axillary trophophylls not preserved. Dorsal trophophylls symmetric, distant, ascending, 0.80–0.98 × 0.2–0.32 mm, ovate (Figs 1 B, C, 2 A), base rounded, slightly carinate, apex aristate and minutely serrate (arista 0.27–0.35 mm long, approximately 1 / 3 of the dorsal trophophyll length, Fig. 1 B, C), margins with scattered teeth or cilia (Fig. 2 A). Ventral trophophylls close to imbricate, ascending, 1.20–1.45 × 0.45–0.62 mm, elliptic, base slightly asymmetric, rounded on both sides (Figs 1 D, 2 B), with the basiscopic side more developed, apex apiculate (Fig. 1 D), margins of the acroscopic proximal third ciliate (Fig. 1 E), the basiscopic proximal third nearly entire or minutely serrate, and the medial and distal thirds serrate (Fig. 1 F), cilia 60–100 µm in length, teeth 15–40 µm. Epidermis of trophophylls not preserved. Strobili not preserved.