School of Plant Science, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 55, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia.
Am J Bot. 2010 Jan;97(1):59-70. doi: 10.3732/ajb.0900109.
The Australasian Ericaceae epitomize many problems in understanding the biogeography of the southern hemisphere, especially the relative contributions of Gondwanan vicariance and dispersal. Late Cretaceous fossil pollen of the family suggests extreme antiquity of the group in Australasia, but recent phylogenetic evidence suggests much younger histories for most of the groups in that region. This paper documents two new species of latest Oligocene-Early Miocene macrofossils of Ericaceae from New Zealand. Cyathodophyllum novae-zelandiae G.J.Jord. & Bannister gen. and sp. nov. is the oldest record of the tribe Styphelieae, but is of a clade now extinct in New Zealand, possibly related to the Tasmanian genus Cyathodes. Richeaphyllum waimumuensis G.J.Jord. & Bannister sp. nov. is a member of Richeeae, but it is ambiguous as to whether it is a member of the impressive modern New Zealand radiation in Dracophyllum. These fossils emphasize the fact that at least some of the fossil pollen of Ericaceae may have been derived from extinct lineages and therefore should not be used as evidence for the antiquity of any modern New Zealand clade of Ericaceae. New fossils and/or detailed analysis of fossil and extant pollen may help resolve such uncertainty.
澳大拉西亚的杜鹃花科集中体现了理解南半球生物地理学的许多问题，尤其是冈瓦纳大陆的隔离和扩散的相对贡献。该家族的晚白垩纪化石花粉表明该组在澳大拉西亚的古老程度，但最近的系统发育证据表明，该地区的大多数群体的历史都要年轻得多。本文记录了来自新西兰的两个新的晚渐新世-早中新世的杜鹃花科宏观化石物种。Cyathodophyllum novae-zelandiae G.J.Jord. & Bannister gen. and sp. nov. 是 Styphelieae 部落的最古老记录，但属于现已在新西兰灭绝的分支，可能与塔斯马尼亚属 Cyathodes 有关。Richeaphyllum waimumuensis G.J.Jord. & Bannister sp. nov. 是 Richeeae 的成员，但它是否是 Dracophyllum 中令人印象深刻的现代新西兰辐射的成员尚不清楚。这些化石强调了一个事实，即至少一些杜鹃花科的化石花粉可能来自已灭绝的谱系，因此不应将其用作任何现代新西兰杜鹃花科分支古老的证据。新的化石和/或对化石和现存花粉的详细分析可能有助于解决这种不确定性。
