Carpolithus
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{{Short description|Extinct species of fruit seeds}}
Carpolithus is an extinct genus of fossilized seeds known from the Paleozoic Era and the Pleistocene Epoch of the Cenozoic Era.
Etymology
The term Carpolithus derives from the Greek words karpos (καρπός), meaning "fruit," and lithos (λίθος), meaning "stone."Columbian Cyclopedia. (1897). United States: Garretson, Cox. It reflects the fossilized nature of the seeds and fruits classified under this genus.
History and classification
The genus is classified as a form taxon and is extinct. The first fossils with "Carpolithus" traits appeared 359–347 million years ago in the Paleozoic Era, while the last were recorded between 0.13 and 0.01 million years ago in the Pleistocene epoch.Mindat.org. (2016). Mindat.org. https://www.mindat.org/taxon-8623412.html
The concept of Carpolithus dates to the 18th century, as detailed in 1920 by Alfred Gabriel Nathorst, who revealed its first use by Swedish mineralogist Johan Gottschalk Wallerius in 1747.Palaeozoic Plants from Central Shansi. (1927). China: Alexander Doweld. In 1750, Wallerius included early references to Carpolithus in his Mineralogie, oder mineralreich.Wallerius, J. G. (1750). Mineralogie, oder mineralreich: von ihm eingeteilt und beschrieben. Germany: C.G. Nicolai.
Years later, Carl Linnaeus referenced the genus in 1768.PBDB Taxon. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=134692&is_real_user=1 It was a generic name employed by Linnaeus for incorporating fossil fruits and seeds that could not be assigned to a natural plant group.Seward, A. C. (2011). Fossil Plants: A Text-Book for Students of Botany and Geology. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.Geophytology: A Journal of Palaeobotany and Allied Sciences. (1971). India: Palaeobotanical Society.. Linnaeus referred to "Phytolithus fructus" as Carpolithus.Cleal, C. J., & Thomas, B. A. (2018). Nomenclatural status of the palaeobotanical “artificial taxa” established in Brongniart’s 1822 “Classification” paper (journal-article). (Fossil Imprint), Fossil Imprint (Vols. 74–74, pp. 9–28). Praha. https://doi.org/10.2478/if-2018-0001
15 species were described as "Carpolithes" by Ernst Friedrich, Baron von Schlotheim in 1820.Wang, Q. (2011, February). (1996) Proposal to conserve the name Carpolithus with that spelling (fossil spermatopsida). Retrieved December 18, 2024, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331030201_1996_Proposal_to_conserve_the_name_Carpolithus_with_that_spelling_fossil_Spermatopsida The term "Carpolites" was adopted by Kaspar Maria von Sternberg in 1825.Fossil Plants: a Text-book for Students of Botany and Geology. Vol. Iii.. (n.d.). (n.p.): CUP Archive.
Early fossil genera like Carpolithus (Linnaeus) and Carpolithes (Schlotheim) served as "form genera," which were catch-all categories to classify numerous unidentified fossil seeds, based on impressions, compressions, and casts, serving as a general repository.Andrews, H. N. (1970). Index of Generic Names of Fossil Plants, 1820-1965. South Africa: U.S. Government Printing Office. Since Carpolithus Linnaeus and Carpolithes were published before 31 December 1820, they are considered invalid under the 1966 International Code of Botanical Nomenclature.Memoir. (1977). United States: The Society.
Species
There have been over 100 species assigned to Carpolithus.
- Carpolithus Siliquarum (Blackbird fruits)
- Carpolithus quercinus (Oak acorns)
- Carpolithus caftanei (Chestnut fruits)
- Carpolithus conorum arborum (Fruits of the Trees)Histoire Naturelle Eclaircie Dans Une de Ses Parties Principales, L'oryctologie, Qui Traite Des Terres, Des Pierres, Des Metaux, Des Mineraux Et Autyres Fossiles. (1755). France: Avec Approbations et privilege du Roy.