An asterid flower from neotropical mid-Tertiary amber

Area of Science:

• Paleobotany
• Evolutionary Biology
• Biogeography

Background:

• Amber fossils offer crucial data for understanding life's evolution.
• Dominican amber is a significant source of fossilized vascular plants, yet lacks asterid representatives.
• The asterid clade, comprising over 80,000 species, is one of the largest flowering plant lineages.

Discussion:

• This study describes the first fossilized neotropical flowers belonging to the asterid clade, discovered in Mid-Tertiary Dominican amber.
• The fossils, identified as corollas with stamens and styles, represent a new species, Strychnos electri sp. nov.
• This finding places the new species within the Loganiaceae family, belonging to the order Gentianales.

Key Insights:

• Discovery of the first fossil asterid flowers in Dominican amber.
• Identification of a new species, Strychnos electri sp. nov., within the Loganiaceae family.
• Enhances understanding of asterid paleobiodiversity and evolutionary history.

Outlook:

• Further research into Dominican amber may uncover more fossil evidence of early asterids.
• This discovery can refine phylogenetic analyses and biogeographical reconstructions of flowering plants.
• Potential for new insights into the diversification and ecological roles of ancient angiosperms.