Matoniaceae

Matoniaceae
Temporal range: Middle Triassic–Recent
Matonia pectinata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Division: Polypodiophyta
Class: Polypodiopsida
Order: Gleicheniales
Family: Matoniaceae
C.Presl 1847
Genera

Matoniaceae is one of the three families of ferns in the Gleicheniales order of the Polypodiopsida class.[1][2] Fossil records reveal that Matoniaceae ferns were abundant during the Mesozoic era (about 250-million to 66-million years ago), during which they lived on every continent, including Antarctica, with eight genera and 26 species, with the oldest known specimens being from the Middle Triassic of Antarctica.[3] Today the family is much less abundant, and also less diverse, with only two extant genera and four species,[4] which are limited to portions of southeastern Asia.[5]

The following diagram shows a likely phylogenic relationship with the other two families of the Gleicheniales.[6]

Gleicheniales
Gleicheniaceae

 6 extant genera

Dipteridaceae

 2 extant genera

 Matoniaceae 
  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Smith-2006 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Christenhusz-2011 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Klavins, Sharon D.; Taylor, Thomas N.; Taylor, Edith L. (January 2004). "Matoniaceous Ferns (Gleicheniales) from the Middle Triassic of Antarctica". Journal of Paleontology. 78 (1): 211–217. doi:10.1666/0022-3360(2004)078<0211:MFGFTM>2.0.CO;2. ISSN 0022-3360. S2CID 130165581.
  4. ^ Christenhusz, M. J. M. & Byng, J. W. (2016). "The number of known plants species in the world and its annual increase". Phytotaxa. 261 (3). Magnolia Press: 201–217. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.261.3.1.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Moran-2004 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Lehtonen-2011 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).