''Hughmillerites'' is a fossil

cypress Cypress is a common name for various coniferous trees or shrubs from the ''Cupressus'' genus of the '' Cupressaceae'' family, typically found in temperate climates and subtropical regions of Asia, Europe, and North America. The word ''cypress'' ...

, found in the Late Jurassic of Scotland and Early Cretaceous of Canada.

Etymology

The genus name ''Hughmillerites'' refers to the well-known Scottish geologist, writer and stonemason,

Hugh Miller Hugh Miller (10 October 1802 – 23/24 December 1856) was a Scottish geologist, writer and folklorist. Life and work Miller was born in Cromarty, the first of three children of Harriet Wright (''bap''. 1780, ''d''. 1863) and Hugh Miller ...

(1802-1856), who found the original specimen and many others at Eathie, on the

Black Isle The Black Isle (, ) is a peninsula within Ross and Cromarty, in the Scottish Highlands. It includes the towns of Cromarty and Fortrose, and the villages of Culbokie, Resolis, Jemimaville, Rosemarkie, Avoch, Munlochy, Tore, and North Kesso ...

in Scotland. The genus was erected in 2014 for a specimen originally named ''Conites juddii'',Seward, A.C., Bancroft, N., 1913. Jurassic plants from Cromarty and Sutherland,Scotland. ''Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh'' 48: 876–888. and the species name ''juddii'' was retained. It honours

John Wesley Judd John Wesley Judd (18 February 1840 – 3 March 1916) was a British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * Bri ...

(1879 – 1914). The second species, ''M. vancouverensis'' is named for Vancouver Island, where the fossils were collected.

Description

''Hughmillerites'' is known from fossil cones approximately 2–5 cm in length. They were preserved in the Kimmeridge Clay Formation (Upper Jurassic) in Scotland, and the Longarm Formation (Valanginian, Early Cretaceous) in Apple Bay on

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest ...

,Canada.

Significance

Understanding the origin and evolution of conifers is important for palaeontologists, because they comprise an important part of ecosystems in the past and present. Fossils of ''Hughmillerites'' and the closely related '' Hubbardiastrobus'' are important for understanding the evolution of the structure of conifer cones. They have intermediate shape of cone scales between early forms and later ones, charting changes in the group through time. Most of the fossils from Eathie (where ''Hughmillerites'' was originally found) were collected by the famous Scottish geologist and writer, Hugh Miller. His collection is mainly held at the

National Museum of Scotland The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, Scotland, is a museum of Scottish history and culture. It was formed in 2006 with the merger of the new Museum of Scotland, with collections relating to Scottish antiquities, culture and history, ...

, including the holotype of ''Hughmillerites''.

References

Cupressaceae Fossil record of plants Fossil taxa described in 2011 Fossils Kimmeridgian Upper Jurassic Series Jurassic plants Valanginian Black Isle Vancouver Island Conifers Early Cretaceous plants Prehistoric gymnosperm genera {{cretaceous-plant-stub