NAME Fusiformisporites keralensis
AGE Miocene.   AGE span: 23.03...5.332 mya
K&J CLASSIFICATION (2000) Fungi Imperfecti, Didymosporae.
FIGURE(S)
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FIGURE REFERENCE Ramanujam CGK, Rao KP. 1978. Fungal spores from the Neogene strata of Kerala in South India; Proceedings of the IV International Palynological Conference, Lucknow, 1976-77, v. 1, p. 291-304.
SPECIES, AUTHORITY F. keralensis Ramanujam & Rao 1978, p. 300, pl. 3, fig. 42.
LOCATION Quilon and Warkalli beds of Kerala State along the west coast of South India; locality: Cannanore.
ORIG DESCRIPTION* Spores dark brown to light brown, large, inaperturate, fusiform to rhomboidal, 51-56 x 32-36 µm, dicellate, ends truncate to broadly arched. Transverse septum conspicuous, two-layered, up to 4 µm thick. Spore wall 1.5 µm thick, much thicker at each end along the long axis, prominently striate; striae numerous, longitudinal, seen on either side of septum, ridges slightly broader than grooves.
COMMENTS* Fusiformisporites spores, as emended by Elsik (1968), show striking resemblance to the ascospores of the modern Cookeina (Wolf & Cavaliere, 1966). In most of the species of Fusiformisporites recorded so far (Rouse, 1962; Wolf & Cavaliere, 1966; Elsik, 1968; Sheffy & Dilcher, 1971, Venkatachala & Rawat, 1973; Elsik & Dilcher, 1974), both the ends along the long axis of the spores are more or less acutely pointed. The South Indian species, however, shows somewhat truncate or arched ends; further, the spore wall is much thicker in these regions imparting a padded look to the ends. Fusiformisporites is commonly encountered in the Quilon and Warkalli deposits. F. keralensis is an occasional element of both these beds. The specimens from Cannanore are better preserved than those from other areas.
PUBLICATION REFERENCE Ramanujam CGK, Rao KP. 1978. Fungal spores from the Neogene strata of Kerala in South India; Proceedings of the IV International Palynological Conference, Lucknow, 1976-77, v. 1, p. 291-304.
K&J REMARKS
TYPE
ALL NAMES (Including synonyms) Fusiformisporites keralensis
SERIAL NUMBER 618
PUBLIC COMMENTS
 *For source, see Publication Reference.