Morphological consequence of Gangamopteris McCoy in Glossopteris flora

The leaves of Gangamopteris McCoy are the dominant constituent of Glossopteris flora in Lower Permian sequences of Gondwana. Morphologically leaves are similar with Glossopteris Brongniart in having reticulate venation pattern but differ in the absence of midrib. Large number of plant fossils collected from the carbonaceous shale samples of Barakar coal seams (Lower Gondwana) of Satpura Gondwana Basin, India indicates the presence of number of specimens of Gangamopteris belonging to sixteen species including two new species viz., Gangamopteris sethiaensis sp. nov. and Gangamopteris satpuraensis sp. nov.The morphological diversity, stratigraphical distribution and character affiliation of Gangamopteris demonstrate its organizational involvement towards the development of Glossopteris and signify the evolutionary lineage in Glossopteridales.