Fungalpedia – Note 157, Brachysporisporites (Fossil Fungi)
Brachysporisporites R.T. Lange & P.H. Sm. 1971
Citation when using this data: Saxena RK & Hyde KD. 2024 (in prep) – Fungalpedia, Fossil Fungi.
Index Fungorum, Facesoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank, Fig. 1
Classification: Phragmosporae, Fossil Fungi.
Lange & Smith (1971) instituted Brachysporisporites from the Early-Middle Eocene (56–38 mya) sediments from Maslin Bay, South Australia with the following diagnosis: “Obovate, turbinate or pyriform, phaeophragmospores of several cells, the cells much broader than long in a sharply graded series of diminishing size from a large domed apical cell to a small hyaline attachment cell, with extremely dark thick bands of septa, similarly graded towards the attachment cell. Ediger (1981) has revised and improved the description of Brachysporisporites as given below: Fungal spores of three or more cells and two or more septa, symmetrical along the long axis; clavate, obovate, pyriform or ovoid shape; cells arranged in a graded series of diminishing size from a large domed apical cell to a relatively small hyaline or so attachment cell; one or two cells at apparate end usually bigger and making up the bulk of the spore; monoporate, the pore is situated on the long axis at the narrower end of the spore; exine thickest on the biggest cell, psilate or scabrate; there may be some pits, especially on the biggest cell; thickness of septa variable, there may be at least one opening on septa.”
Spores of Brachysporisporites are usually compared to the conidia of the modern Brachysporium Sacc. Spore Type B described by Ramanujam & Rao (1978, p. 296, pl. 1, figs. 18-19) from Quilon and Warkalli beds (Miocene, 23–5 mya)) of Kerala, India resembles Brachysporisporites pyriformis in possessing similar shape and nature of cells, septa and spore wall. There are 24 records in Index Fungorum (2023) under this genus.
Synonym: Granatisporites Elsik & Janson., Journal of Botany 52: 953 (1974) fide Kalgutkar & Jansonius 2000.
Type species: Brachysporisporites pyriformis R.T. Lange & P.H. Sm.
Figure 1– Brachysporisporites pyriformis. Scale bar = 20 μm. Redrawn from Lange & Smith (1971).
References
Lange RT, Smith PH. 1971 – The Maslin Bay flora, South Australia. 3. Dispersed fungal spores. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie Monatsh. 11, 663–681.
Ramanujam CGK, Rao KP. 1978 – Fungal spores from the Neogene strata of Kerala in South India, 291–304. In: Bharadwaj D.C. et al. (Editors) – Proceedings of the 4th International Palynological Conference, Lucknow 1976–77, Volume 1, Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, Lucknow.
Entry by
Ramesh K. Saxena, Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow, India
(Edited by Kevin D. Hyde, Samaneh Chaharmiri-Dokhaharani, & Achala R. Rathnayaka)
Published online 26 October 2023