NAME Mycokidstonia sphaerialoides
AGE Early Devonian.   AGE span: 416...397.5 mya
K&J CLASSIFICATION (2000) Ascomycetes, Ascosphaerales.
FIGURE(S)
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FIGURE REFERENCE Pons D, Locquin MV. 1981. Mycokidstonia sphaerialoides Pons et Locquin, gen. et sp. nov., Ascomycète fossile dévonien Cahiers de Micropaléontologie, v. 1, 1981, p. 101-104.
SPECIES, AUTHORITY M. sphaerialoides Pons & Locquin 1981, p. 102, pl. 1, figs. 1-8.
LOCATION Rhynie chert bed, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
ORIG DESCRIPTION* As for the genus [combined description].
COMMENTS* This ascomycete is especially interesting because, like Protoascon missouriensis Batra et al. 1964, it demonstrates that the first ascomycetes are synascomycetes in the sense of Gäumann (1949), that is to say, intermediate between Zygomycetes with sporocysts and the true Ascomycetes. The ascocarp which contains the asci is homologous with the ascocarp containing the first spores.
PUBLICATION REFERENCE Pons D, Locquin MV. 1981. Mycokidstonia sphaerialoides Pons et Locquin, gen. et sp. nov., Ascomycète fossile dévonien Cahiers de Micropaléontologie, v. 1, 1981, p. 101-104.
K&J REMARKS In the order Ascosphaerales, family Ascosphaeraceae, a primitive fruiting body consists of an ascocarp that is not enclosed by a peridium, but consists of irregularly intertwined hyphae. It may or may not have an ostiole. It contains a number of round thin-walled sporocysts, each of which in turn contains a group of "spore balls", each of which contains a number of spherical asci. Each ascus contains eight ascospores, that may be liberated in the spore ball due to disintegration of the ascus walls. Pons & Locquin did not use their terminology in this manner.
TYPE HOLOTYPE: Thin section collection, Paleobotany Laboratory, University of Pierre and Marie Curie, Paris, No. 1021 oA; Rhynie peat-bog, chert, Level B.
ALL NAMES (Including synonyms) Mycokidstonia sphaerialoides
SERIAL NUMBER 1144
PUBLIC COMMENTS
 *For source, see Publication Reference.