Leaf macrofossils of Ilex protocornuta sp. nov. (Aquifoliaceae) from the Late Miocene of East China: Implications for palaeoecology

Although both fossil pollen and molecular data support a long evolutionary history for the Aquifoliaceae, reliable macrofossils have rarely been described. Here, a new species, Ilex protocornuta Xiang-Chuan Li et Bai-Nian Sun sp. nov. from the Late Miocene Xiananshan Formation of Zhejiang Province, East China, which is unequivocally identified based on eighteen leaf macrofossils, can be placed in the subgenus Ilex section Ilex subsection. The new species shows the closest affinity to Ilex cornuta Lindley et Paxton. A survey of Ilex fossil records (pollen and leaves) from the Cretaceous to the Pliocene in China suggests that the past distribution of fossil Ilex species is much wider than that of extant species, while the occurrence of the probably evergreen I. protocornuta may indicate that a warm and humid climate similar to that of today existed in East China during the Late Miocene, which is also supported by the co-occurring plants that prefer a tropical, subtropical or warm-temperate habitat (i.e. Smilax, Lagerstroemia and evergreen Quercus).