An Early Cretaceous flora from Cusano Mutri, Benevento, southern Italy

A new Early Cretaceous, late Aptian plant assemblage collected near the village of Cusano Mutri in the southern Apennines (Campania, Italy) is examined. The fossils consist mainly of impressions and compressions of sterile foliage shoots and reproductive structures of conifers, and a few angiosperm leaves. Cuticular analyses are provided. The genera Cupressinocladus, Pagiophyllum, Araucarites, Frenelopsis and Montsechia are documented. The occurrence of Montsechia vidalii outside of Spain is recorded for the first time. A description of a new cheirolepidiacean species, Frenelopsis cusanensis is supplied and macroscopical and cuticular characters as seen under light and scanning electron microscopes are given. Xeromorphic features displayed by almost all taxa suggest semi-arid or arid conditions in a subtropical or tropical climate. The floral assemblage displays a strong affinity with the Euro-Sinian Province of the Northern Hemisphere, which is confirmed by the absence of typical Gondwanan representatives. The discovery of this new late Aptian flora in the Apenninic Carbonate Platform domain and its palaeoecological significance provide new insights into the relationships between the platform and the mainland within the Early Cretaceous Tethyan realm.