Pinus peregrinus
Encyclopedia
Pinus peregrinus is an extinct
species
of pine
in the Pinaceae
family known from Clarkforkian
age Paleocene
fossil
s found in western North Dakota
, USA.
The species was described from three wing seed specimens found at localities 14051a and 14083 in the Bear Den member of the Golden Valley Formation with associated needles from the Heart River Bluffs area, site 14051a, provisionally assigned to the species also. The Bear Den member outcrops at a number of sites in western North Dakota
, and is designated the type locality
.
The holotype
specimen, number PU 20091, is preserved in the Princeton University
collections, and paratype
specimens are in the National Museum of Natural History
collections of the Smithsonian Institution
. The specimens were studied by paleobotanist Leo J. Hickey of the Yale University Geology Department
. Dr Hickey published the 1977 type description for P. peregrinus in the Geological Society of America
memoir 150, Stratigraphy and Paleobotany of the Golden Valley Formation (Early Tertiary) of Western North Dakota. Dr Hickey chose the specific name
peregrinus, which is Latin
meaning "stranger" or "newcomer" noting the species to be the first megafossil
record for the pine family
to be described from Rocky Mountains
and Great Plains
Paleocene rocks.
The winged seeds
of Pinus peregrinus are between 20 and 23 mm (0.78740157480315 and 0.905511811023622 in) long and have a nutlet located in the base of the wing to one side of the wing axis. The small, 4 to 5 mm (0.15748031496063 to 0.196850393700787 in) long nutlet is three sided and generally deltoid to ovoid in shape. The wing possesses a thickened inside margin that is straight, while the thin outside margin arches from nutlet to distal tip of the wing. The wing membrane is slightly striated parallel to the wing margins and curving towards the outside margin near the tip. This combination of characters is specific to the genus Pinus, and the seeds are most similar to the modern Pinus resinosa and Pinus tropicalis. The needles provisionally included in P. peregrinus can reach up to 10 centimetres (3.9 in) long with a distinct midrib.
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
in the Pinaceae
Pinaceae
Pinaceae are trees or shrubs, including many of the well-known conifers of commercial importance such as cedars, firs, hemlocks, larches, pines and spruces. The family is included in the order Pinales, formerly known as Coniferales. Pinaceae are supported as monophyletic by its protein-type sieve...
family known from Clarkforkian
Clarkforkian
The Clarkforkian North American Stage on the geologic timescale is the North American faunal stage according to the North American Land Mammal Ages chronology , typically set from 56,800,000 to 55,400,000 years BP lasting . It is usually considered to be within the Paleocene, more specifically the...
age Paleocene
Paleocene
The Paleocene or Palaeocene, the "early recent", is a geologic epoch that lasted from about . It is the first epoch of the Palaeogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era...
fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s found in western North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
, USA.
The species was described from three wing seed specimens found at localities 14051a and 14083 in the Bear Den member of the Golden Valley Formation with associated needles from the Heart River Bluffs area, site 14051a, provisionally assigned to the species also. The Bear Den member outcrops at a number of sites in western North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
, and is designated the type locality
Type locality (geology)
Type locality , also called type area or type locale, is the where a particular rock type, stratigraphic unit, fossil or mineral species is first identified....
.
The holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
specimen, number PU 20091, is preserved in the Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
collections, and paratype
Paratype
Paratype is a technical term used in the scientific naming of species and other taxa of organisms. The exact meaning of the term paratype when it is used in zoology is not the same as the meaning when it is used in botany...
specimens are in the National Museum of Natural History
National Museum of Natural History
The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. Admission is free and the museum is open 364 days a year....
collections of the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
. The specimens were studied by paleobotanist Leo J. Hickey of the Yale University Geology Department
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. Dr Hickey published the 1977 type description for P. peregrinus in the Geological Society of America
Geological Society of America
The Geological Society of America is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the geosciences. The society was founded in New York in 1888 by Alexander Winchell, John J. Stevenson, Charles H. Hitchcock, John R. Proctor and Edward Orton and has been headquartered at 3300 Penrose...
memoir 150, Stratigraphy and Paleobotany of the Golden Valley Formation (Early Tertiary) of Western North Dakota. Dr Hickey chose the specific name
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
peregrinus, which is Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
meaning "stranger" or "newcomer" noting the species to be the first megafossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
record for the pine family
Pinaceae
Pinaceae are trees or shrubs, including many of the well-known conifers of commercial importance such as cedars, firs, hemlocks, larches, pines and spruces. The family is included in the order Pinales, formerly known as Coniferales. Pinaceae are supported as monophyletic by its protein-type sieve...
to be described from Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
and Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
Paleocene rocks.
The winged seeds
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
of Pinus peregrinus are between 20 and 23 mm (0.78740157480315 and 0.905511811023622 in) long and have a nutlet located in the base of the wing to one side of the wing axis. The small, 4 to 5 mm (0.15748031496063 to 0.196850393700787 in) long nutlet is three sided and generally deltoid to ovoid in shape. The wing possesses a thickened inside margin that is straight, while the thin outside margin arches from nutlet to distal tip of the wing. The wing membrane is slightly striated parallel to the wing margins and curving towards the outside margin near the tip. This combination of characters is specific to the genus Pinus, and the seeds are most similar to the modern Pinus resinosa and Pinus tropicalis. The needles provisionally included in P. peregrinus can reach up to 10 centimetres (3.9 in) long with a distinct midrib.