DOAJ Open Access 2022

An unusual specimen of the enigmatic fungal reproductive unit Windipila spinifera from the Lower Devonian Rhynie cherts of Scotland

Michael Krings

Abstrak

Windipila spinifera from the Rhynie cherts is a spheroidal microfossil enveloped in a hyphal mantle from which extend prominent spines and otherwise shaped projections. It is believed to be a reproductive unit of a fungus in the Glomeromycota or zygomycetes, but features to determine the systematic affinities have not hitherto been documented. This study describes a new specimen of W. spinifera that contains a single spherical structure from which a hypha arises that extends outside and terminates in what appears to be a sporangium. The specimen is reminiscent of germinated zygospores of the germ-sporangial type, and thus may suggest affinities of W. spinifera to the zygomycetes. However, the interior sphere and its outgrowth could also be a part of another organism that had invaded W. spinifera.

Topik & Kata Kunci

Paleontology

Penulis (1)

Michael Krings

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Krings, M. (2022). An unusual specimen of the enigmatic fungal reproductive unit Windipila spinifera from the Lower Devonian Rhynie cherts of Scotland. https://doi.org/10.3897/zitteliana.96.e86327

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