Fungalpedia – Note 154, Ascochytites (Fossil Fungi) 

 

Ascochytites Barlinge & Paradkar.

Citation when using this data: Saxena RK & Hyde KD. 2024 (in prep) – Fungalpedia, Fossil Fungi. 

Index Fungorum, Facesoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank, Fig. 1

Classification: Botryosphaeriaceae, Botryosphaeriales, Ascomycota, Dothideomycetes, Fungi.

Ascochytites was initially introduced Teterevnikova-Babaian & Taslakhchian (1973); however, its validity was compromised at that time due to a lack of illustration of the spores. Barlinge & Paradkar (1982) probably were not aware of this earlier publication when they proposed Ascochytites as a new genus, with A. intertrappeus as its type (Kalgutkar & Jansonius 2000). The monotypic fossil genus, Ascochytites, was described from the Deccan Intertrappean Series (Late Cretaceous, 75–66 mya) of Mohgaon Kalan, Chhindwara District, Madhya Pradesh, India. The genus is a saprophytic sphaeropsidaceous fungus with ostiolate pycnidia; hyphae septate, branched; conidiospores small (Saxena & Tripathi 2011). Two species are included in Index Fungorum (2023) under this genus.

Type Species: Ascochytites intertrappeus Barlinge & Paradkar.

 

Figure 1 – Ascochytites intertrappeus. Scale bar = 200 μm. Redrawn from Barlinge & Paradkar (1982).

 

References

Barlinge SG, Paradkar SA. 1982 – Records of new fossil algal and fungal forms from the Deccan Intertrappean of Mohgaon Kalan, M.P., India. Botanique 10(1–4), 163–174.

Kalgutkar RM, Jansonius J. 2000 – Synopsis of fungal spores, mycelia and fructifications. AASP Contribution Series 39, 1–423. 

Saxena RK, Tripathi SKM. 2011 – Indian fossil fungi. Palaeobotanist 60, 1–208.

Teterevnikova-Babaian DN, Taslakhchian MG. 1973 – New data on fossil fungal spores in Armenia. Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Mycology and Phytology 4, 159–164.

 

Entry by

Ramesh K. Saxena, Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow, India

 

(Edited by Kevin D. Hyde, Samaneh Chaharmiri-Dokhaharani, & Achala R. Rathnayaka)

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