NAME Inapertisporites deccani
AGE Late Cretaceous-Maastrichtian.   AGE span: 70.6...65.5 mya
K&J CLASSIFICATION (2000) Fungi Imperfecti, Amerosporae.
FIGURE(S)
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FIGURE REFERENCE Chitaley SD, Yawale NR. 1978. Fungal remains from the Deccan Intertrappean beds of Mohgaonkalan, India; The Botanique, v. 7 (1976), p. 189-194.
SPECIES, AUTHORITY I. deccani (Chitaley & Yawale) Kalgutkar & Jansonius 2000
LOCATION Mohgaonkalan, Madhya Pradesh, India.
ORIG DESCRIPTION* (diagnosis): Spores spherical, subspherical, sometimes elongate, 7 x 15 μm in diameter with granular contents. Epispore moderately thick. Some spores with depression on one side, deep brown to pale.

(Abbreviated from description:) A spore mass without definite margin, not covered by a pseudo-membrane, and not forming spore balls, occurs in obscure rotted plant tissue (in a thin section of dark chert); the same type of fungal spores are also scattered over the decaying plant tissue. The spores are deep brown to pale in color, with granular content and a mean diameter of 11 μm, and are found mostly singly, or occasionally in loose groups. Spores two-layered, epispore smooth, 0.4-1.5 μm thick. Many spores show folding and a depression on one side. No associated mycelium or sori observed.
COMMENTS* The characters present in these spores lead to its placement under the smut family Ustilaginaceae. Comparisons are made with the two genera Ustilago Roussel 1806 and Sphacelotheca De Bary 1884 because of some resemblances with them. In Sphacelotheca the spore mass is enclosed by a persistent peridium of fungal tissue which separates in groups or chains of slightly tinted cells at maturity. In the present fungus neither the peridium nor its remains are seen. Therefore, the present fungus is more likely comparable to Ustilago where a spore mass is present without any sterile covering, but does not compare to extant species.
PUBLICATION REFERENCE Chitaley SD, Yawale NR. 1978. Fungal remains from the Deccan Intertrappean beds of Mohgaonkalan, India; The Botanique, v. 7 (1976), p. 189-194.
K&J REMARKS Kalgutkar and Jansonius (2000) transfer this species to Inapertisporites, because they thought that, in a dispersed condition, individual spores could not possibly be associated with the smut fungi.
TYPE Ustilago deccani Chitaley & Yawale 1978, p. 192, pl. 1, fig. 3, 4. [Holotype: 2 Fu/NRY deposited with SRII, Nagpur.]
ALL NAMES (Including synonyms) Ustilago deccani Chitaley & Yawale 1978, p. 192, pl. 1, fig. 3, 4.; Inapertisporites deccani
SERIAL NUMBER 775
PUBLIC COMMENTS
 *For source, see Publication Reference.