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Megaglomerospora lealiae nov. gen., nov. sp. from the upper Carboniferous of Portugal: the largest glomeromycotan fungal spores
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Abstract(s)
ABSTRACT: A new genus and species of fossil fungus, Megaglomerospora lealiae, is described from the Bu & ccedil;aco Carboniferous Basin (upper Stephanian C, Upper Pennsylvanian, upper Carboniferous), in central western Portugal. The new fossil fungus consists of a dense cluster of silicified large spores. These new fungal spores are oblong, subelliptical to subspherical-shaped, with a glabrous surface characterized by having a lipid-filled lumen, and display a strong septate-like hypha attached. The presence of lobe-shaped germination shields suggests close affinities to Diversisporales (Glomeromycota). Megaglomerospora lealiae nov. gen., nov. sp. is remarkably distinctive because it is by far the largest fossil fungal spore (similar to 1.6 mm long) documented for the phylum Glomeromycota. This is the first report of an endomycorrhizal-like fungus from the Carboniferous of Iberia. (c) 2025 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.
Description
Keywords
Paleontology Fossil fungi New fungus genus Carboniferous Basin Portugal
Pedagogical Context
Citation
Correia, P., Sa, A. & Pereira, Z. (2025). Megaglomerospora lealiae nov. gen., nov. sp. from the upper Carboniferous of Portugal: the largest glomeromycotan fungal spores. In: Geobios, 2025, vol. 91, pp. 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geobios.2024.11.010
Publisher
Elsevier