Urszula Hara, Museum Department, Polish Geological Institute, Rakowiecka, 4, Warsaw, Poland
Insight into the Cenozoic geological history of the austral Aspidostoma genus is important for the reconstruction of the biogeographical links between South America and Antarctica. Aspidostoma, commonly widespread throughout the Tertiary in the triangle of Antarctica-South America-Australia-New Zealand, reaches its maximum diversity in the late Early Eocene of the La Meseta Formation on Seymour Island (West Antarctica) and has the earliest fossil record in the Lower Danian (Roca Formation) of Patagonia (South America). The recently studied Canu’s collection provides valuable data on the taxonomy and the closest biogeographical Magellan-Antarctic connection. Similar to Aspidostoma, the other Early Paleocene (Danian) bryozoans from Patagonia including Micropora, Figularia, Exochella and Celleporaria are remarkable for the evolutionary interest and the migration routes during the Early Cenozoic. In this context the origin of the Recent Antarctic and the Magellan bryozoans should be referred and traced back to the Early Paleogene and Neogene bryozoans from Patagonia.
[Manuscript]
