Mississippian palynoflora from the northern Perth Basin, Western Australia: systematics and stratigraphical and palaeogeographical significance

Core material from an exploratory diamond drillhole (DDH CL5) in the Irwin Terrace, northern Perth Basin, Western Australia, contains a profuse and well-preserved palynofloral assemblage composed almost exclusively of trilete miospores. These comprise at least 32 species, distributed among 23 genera. Two species – Retusotriletes separatus sp. nov. and Apiculiretusispora tersa sp. nov. – are new, and Velamisporites cortaderensis (Cesari & Limarino, 1987) is proposed as a new binomial combination. The palynoflora essentially replicates compositionally the Grandispora maculosa Assemblage, first described in 1968 from New South Wales (Italia Road Formation of the Southern New England Orogen) with revised dating of late Visean. Particularly noteworthy in both local and regional biostratigraphical contexts is the combined presence of G. maculosa, Reticulatisporites magnidictyus, Cordylosporites asperidictyus, Foveosporites pellucidus, Indotriradites kuttungensis, I. daemonii, Verrucosisporites aspratilis, V. gr...