Contributions Series Nr. 39 (PDF)

Description

Abstract

In this Synopsis we bring together some 950 validly published names of species, attributed to some 230 genera (plus some 70 names of extant genera, as well as many nomina nuda, and junior synonyms and homonyms). We propose twelve new genera: Axisporonites, Biporipsilonites, Disparidicellites, Hilidicellites, Kumarisporites, Mathurisporites, Mossopisporites, Multicellites, Ramasricellites, Saccisporonites, Trihyphites and Varmasporites. We propose one new species: Ctenosporites sherwoodiae.

Transfers of species to more appropriate genera resulted in 31 junior homonyms, for which we provided the following nomina nova: Dicellaesporites largelongatus, D. perelongatus; Dictyosporites paradkarii; Didymoporisporonites gigas; Diporicellaesporites macellus, D. minifusiformis; Diporisporites pergranulatus; Dyadosporites antarcticus, D. neoconstrictus; Fusiformisporites duenasii; Hilidicellites dubius, H. trivedii; Hypoxylonites kumarii; Inapertisporites clarkei, I. edigeri, I. neopunctatus, I. triporatus; Kutchithyrites canadensis; Monoporisporites doubingerae, M. mathurii, M. nemagnus, M. neoglobosus, M. perpsilatus, M. singularovalis; Multicellaesporites? songii; Pluricellaesporites cooksoniae, P. edigeri, P. malevisus, P. mexicanus; Scolecosporites modicus; Staphlosporonites billelsikii. The names of one genus and several species, not validly published in their respective protologues, are here validly published “ex Kalgutkar & Jansonius”: Asterinites Doubinger & Pons (with A. colombiensis, A. tellezii), Biporipsilonites bellulus (Ke & Shi), Cercosporites torulosus (Trivedi & Verma), Dicellaesporites longus Trivedi & Verma, Diporisporites planus Martínez-Hernández & Tomasini-Ortiz, Microthyriacites baqueroensis Martinez, Palambages colonica Trivedi & Verma, Pluricellaesporites dentatus Trivedi & Verma, P. minutus Trivedi & Verma and P. planus Trivedi & Verma.

Our transfers also resulted in some 350 new combinations: too many to list in this abstract.

While we tried to include all papers of interest particularly to (paleo)palynologists, this Synopsis will also be of benefit to mycologists who find the literature on fossil remains not easily accessible. The latter also may appreciate a brief survey of megascopic remains reported in the literature. Still, we did not cover many of the earlier (nineteenth century) publications.

We give a summary introduction into paleomycology, as well as some mycological fundamentals, for palynologists; a brief section on palynological practices may be of benefit to mycologists. The discussions dealing with the morphology of fungal spores are concluded with a section “Description of fungal spores,” which provides a checklist of features to be observed and reported on. Technical terms are explained in a Glossary.

The main part of this Synopsis is the systematics section, where the descriptions of genera and species are given in alphabetic order; junior synonyms and homonyms are included, with cross-references to new names or combinations. The types of nearly all species are illustrated with a line drawing. In an Appendix we list all specific epithets together with, in capitals, the names of genera to which they are now attached, and those used in earlier binomials, in lower case.