130 SAGENOPTERIS 



Similar bodies have also been described by Zigno l from the 

 Italian Oolitic strata, but his figures are anything but convincing. 

 Schimper, in Zittel's "Handbuch," 2 considers there can scarcely be 

 a doubt that we must regard Sagenopteris as a genus of the Rhiw- 

 cerpece, and very near to Harsilea. As Solms-Laubach 3 has shown, 

 the arguments on which this reference of Sagenopteris to the 

 Marsileacea is based are far from satisfactory. 



The two leaf fragments figured by Feistmantel 4 from the 

 Karharbari beds of India as Sagenopteris (?) Stoliczana, Feist., 

 have surely very little claim to be included in Presl's genus. We 

 may define the genus as follows : 



Leaves with long stalk, bearing at the apex four palmately- 

 placed leaflets ; leaflets vary considerably in shape and size in 

 the several species and on the same leaf, asymmetrical, linear- 

 lanceolate, spathulate, ovate, etc. ; venation reticulate, the meshes 

 elongated in the direction of the long axis of the leaflet ; towards 

 the basal end of the leaflets there is often a fairly well-defined 

 midrib which rapidly splits up into a number of anastomosing 

 branches as it passes towards the apex of the leaflet. Fructi- 

 fication in the form of oval or spherical bodies bearing sporangia. 



Sagenopteris Mantelli (Dunker). 



1846. Cyclopteris Mantelli, Dunker, Wealdenbildung, p. 10, pi. ix. figs. 4 

 and 5. 



1849. Adiantites Mnntelli, Brongniart, Tableau, p. 107. 



1850. Cyclopteris Mantelli, linger, Gen. spec, plant, foss. p. 95. 



1852. ? Cyclopteris Mantelli (in part), Ettingshausen, Abh. k.-k. geol. 



Reichs. vol. i. Abth. iii. No. 2, p. 13, pi. iii. fig. 15. 

 1869. Aneimidium Mantelli, Schimper, Trait, pal. veg. vol. i. p. 486. 

 1871. Sagenopteris Mantelli, Schenk, . Paloeontographica, vol. xix. p. 222, 



pi. xxxi. fig. 5. 



1874. Aneimidium Mantelli, Schimper, Trait, pal. veg. vol. iii. p. 486. 

 1886. ? Thinnfeldia variabilis, Velenovsky, Gymn. bohm. Kreid. p. 6, 



pi. ii. figs. 1-5. 

 1890. ? Sagenopteris, sp., Yokoyama, Journ. Coll. Sci. Japan, vol. iii. p. 38, 



pi. x. figs. 3 and 3a. 



1 Flor. foss. Oolit. vol. i. p. 186, pi. xx. 



3 Vol. i. p. 154. 



8 Fossil Botany, p. 182. 



* Foss. Fl. Gond. vol. iii. 1881, pt. i. (1879), p. 18, pi. xiii. fig. 4. 



