Additional Evidence for the Diversification of Taiwanioid Conifers in the Upper Cretaceous Based on a New Species from the North Slope of Alaska

Premise of research. Ten anatomically preserved conifer seed cone specimens are preserved on the surfaces of, and within, three interlocking rock fragments of terrestrial limestone discovered as float along the Colville River on the North Slope of Alaska, providing additional evidence for the diversification of taiwanioid Cupressaceae during the Upper Cretaceous–Cenozoic interval. Methodology. Specimens on rock surfaces were measured and photographed, and then serial anatomical thin sections were prepared by the cellulose acetate peel technique. Three-dimensional images of selected specimens were also captured using micro–computed tomography (micro-CT). Pivotal results. The structure of these seed cones is similar to that of living Taiwania cryptomerioides in cone shape, the presence of subtending scalelike leaves, helically arranged and imbricating foliate ovuliferous complexes (OCs), the absence of a separate ovuliferous scale tip, variation in numbers of OCs, and by having two adaxially positioned winged seeds per complex. However, abruptly upturned OC, details of OC vasculature, and distinctive histological features reveal that these seed cones represent a new species of the extinct genus Mukawastrobus. Conclusions. When added to the existing record of fossil seed cones, the new species Mukawastrobus arnoldii highlights the recent discovery that among early-diverging lineages of Cupressaceae, there has been considerable Cretaceous, Paleogene, and Neogene evolution that is reflected by variations among subtle characters that are not recognizable in any but the most completely preserved specimens.