PRESENCE OF THE GENUS GIRIDIA, SPHENOPHYTE, IN THE PARANA BASIN (LOWER PERMIAN, RIO BONITO FORMATION)

The Bainha Outcrop, located in the Municipality of Criciuma, Santa Catarina State, corresponds to deposits of the "Irapua Bed," Rio Bonito Formation, and it is considered one of the richest phytofossiliferous sites of the Parana Basin. representative of the "Glossopteris Flora." However, the Sphenophytes are poorly represented in this taphoflora. In this contribution, some so far unpublished samples are analyzed, which allowed us to confirm, for the first time, the occurrence of the Indian morphogenus Giridia in the Lower Permian of the Basin. Two distinct morphotypes are considered. One is related to the type-species of the genus, referred to herein as Giridia indica and found only at the Bainha Outcrop. The other is described as a new species. Giridia quiteriensis sp. nov., recorded at both Bainha and Quiteria outcrops, the latter located in the municipality of Encruzilhada do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul State. The second morphotype corresponds to the material classified previously as Gondwanostachys australis, which was revised herein. Therefore, this is the first record of the genus Giridia outside India, which reinforces the relative floristic similarities between Indian and South American regions of Gondwana during the Early Permian.