J50 ox THE OCCURKEXCK OP OTOZAMITES IX AC'Sn?Al,IA, 



? Elatoci.adls sp. 



A small fragment on spetiinen F12473 shows the basal portions of a num- 

 ber of pinnae attaelied to a vachis; the pinnai- are about 2 nmi. wide at the 

 base and liave a well-dctined luidrib in the portiim visible. The speounen may 

 1)6 tentatively referred to Elatocladus. 



? Cone. 



A fragment, about 2 cm. long, of what may have been a eone, shows a 

 number of spherieal bodies, each about 3 mm. in diameter, attiU'hed to an axis. 

 There are tive of tlieso bodies on each side of the axis, but it is impossible to 

 give any details of their structure or of their arrangement on the axis. The 

 specimen is F12473 in tlie Geological Survey Collection. 



COXIPEROU.S FRACJIKXT.S. (PI. X.. fig. .5). 



Associated witii the Otozamites there are obscure fragments of what appear 

 to be coniferous branches. They show no detail of structure; the outline of 

 one is figured, but no attempt is made to attach a definite name to them. Possibly 

 they are wliat Arber (1910, p. 27) compared with PaginphnUum sp. 



There are also some fragments of fossil wood, but tliey apparently have 

 no traces of structure preserved and it is impossible to nmke any use of them. 



The Occurroice of Otozamiien iii Anstrdlia. 



The genus Otozamites attains its widest geograpliical distribution iu rociss 

 of Jurassic age, but also occurs fairly abundantly in both Triassic and Lower 

 Cretaceous Formations. In Australia, up to the present, it has only been found 

 in rocks of Jurassic age and its geographic range in this region appears to have 

 been limited. Rocks of Jurassic age are known in all the States and also in 

 New Zeahmd, ))ut so far, Otozamitef! has been recorded only from Queensland 

 and Western Australia. Since, however, the Jurassic rocks in northern New 

 Soutli Wales (Clarenco Series) are directly connected with those of southern 

 (Queensland in which this fossil occurs, future collecting may lie expected to 

 reveal the occurrence of Otozamites in New South Wales. 



In the Jurassic Rocks of Victoria, Tasmania, and New Zealand, which are 

 cijusiderably I'urther south than those already referred to, Otozamites does not 

 appear to be present. It may be that the climatic conditions were not suitable 

 I'or the growth of this plant, since there does not ajipear to have been any other 

 formidable barrier to prevent it spreading to tlie south. Hut just as tlie Cycads 

 of to-day do not extend into Victoria or Tasmania, so may those of Mesozoic 

 times have been restricted to a like extent. 



In Queensland, species of Otozamites have been found at widely-scattered 

 localities in the south-east, viz.: — Thane's Creek and Durikai (both to the 

 south-west of Warwick), Talgai, Darling Downs near Toowoomba, Kalbar (for- 

 merly Kngelsbui'g), lieaudesert, and near Esk. At all of these localities, with 

 the exception of Esk, the sjiecies are of similar genei'al cliaracters to those found 

 in Western Australia, the records being: O. Bechri from I'eanilesert, O. Feist- 

 manteli from Thane's Creek, Talgai nml Kalbar, O. cf. MandeUiohi from Dar- 

 ling Downs near Toowoomba. and O. Iienncilensis froni Durikai. 



The sjiccimens described from Esk (Walkom, 1917. ji. 21) arc <|iiite dis- 

 tinct from any of the jdiove and some doubt has been expressed as to whether 



