Callialastrobus sousai gen. et sp. nov., a new araucariaceous pollen cone from the Early Cretaceous of Catefica (Lusitanian Basin, western Portugal) bearing Callialasporites and Araucariacites pollen

A new araucariaceous pollen cone Callialastrobus sousai gen. et sp. nov. is described from the Early Cretaceous (late Aptian-early Albian) Catefica mesofossil flora in the Lusitanian Basin, Estremadura region, western Portugal. The material comprises a single dispersed pollen cone showing peltate deltoid microsporophylls arranged in a helix. Each microsporophyll bears three pollen sacs with Araucariacites and Callialasporites pollen-types in situ. Based on the overall morphology of the pollen cone, the presence of three pollen sacs per sporophyll and the occurrence of Araucariacites pollen grains, the new pollen cone is assigned to Araucariaceae. The new genus Callialastrobus is established here to accommodate araucariaceous pollen cones containing both Araucariacites and Callialasporites pollen-types in situ.