Fungalpedia – Note 184, Foveodiporites (Fossil Fungi)
Foveodiporites Varma & Rawat emend. Kalgutkar & Janson.
Citation when using this data: Saxena RK & Hyde KD. (2024) in prep – Fungalpedia, Fossil Fungi.
Index Fungorum, Facesoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank, Fig. 1
Classification: Amerosporae, Fossil Fungi.
The monotypic fossil genus, Foveodiporites, was described by Varma & Rawat (1963) based on specimens from the Early-Middle Eocene (ca. 56–38 mya), Late Eocene-Oligocene (ca. 38–23 mya), and Early Miocene (ca. 23–16 mya) sediments of western and eastern India, including oil exploration areas in West Bengal and Assam, India. The short diagnosis of this genus, included diporate pollen grains with foveolate exine (Varma & Rawat 1963). Although originally described as pollen, these forms are now generally recognized as fungal spores. Consequently, Kalgutkar & Jansonius (2000) emended the generic diagnosis as follows: Monocellate diporate fungal spores of mostly medium size (ca 15–60 μm); overall shape fusiform to elliptic, but characteristically somewhat lob-sided, with one side of the outline more convex than the other. The spore wall is relatively thin, externally essentially smooth, and internally smooth, or with punctate, granulate, foveolate or similar sculpture. Pores are terminal, complex, consisting of a thin collar and separated from the spore interior by one or two septa (the latter forming a pore chamber). Pore regions often exhibit darker pigmentation. Kalgutkar & Jansonius (2000) considered Punctodiporites Varma & Rawat. as a synonym of Foveodiporites.
Synonym: Punctodiporites Varma & Rawat 1963.
Type species: Foveodiporites anklesvarensis Varma & Rawat.
Figure 1 – Foveodiporites anklesvarensis. Scale bar = 10 μm. Redrawn from Varma & Rawat (1963).
References
Entry by
Ramesh K. Saxena, Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow, India
(Edited by Kevin D. Hyde, Samaneh Chaharmiri-Dokhaharani, & Achala R. Rathnayaka)