NAME Lirasporis
AGE    AGE span:  mya
K&J CLASSIFICATION (2000) Fungi Imperfecti?, Dictyosporae?
FIGURE(S)
FIGURE REFERENCE
SPECIES, AUTHORITY Lirasporis Potonié & Sah 1960, p. 132.
LOCATION
ORIG DESCRIPTION* ORIGINAL DIAGNOSIS: Size varies from 69 x 103 µm to 116 x 134 µm; outline oval, longitudinal ends of oval broadly rounded or somewhat tapering, sometimes showing irregular protuberances which form a jumbled mass; extrema lineamenta somewhat smooth except the longitudinal ends which are always nearly notched; following the longer axis exist perhaps 20-30 parallel but narrow ribs showing between them spaced grana.

Monotypic. (?)

EMENDED DIAGNOSIS (Jain & Kar 1979, p. 108): Fungal bodies oval-elliptical with equal or unequal, broad, generally notched ends. Mycelia, long, septate, ± parallel to one another, extending from one end to other; wall generally levigate, sometimes granulose.
COMMENTS* (Potonié & Sah): The most interesting of the new genera is Lirasporis, having some morphological features of Ephedra but showing between the ribs clear lines of grana. We feel certain that this form will have stratigraphical value (l.c., p. 134).

(Jain & Kar): Potonié & Sah (1960) instituted Lirasporis from the Cannanore lignites (Miocene) of Kerala to accommodate oval spores with notches at the ends and having parallel longitudinal ribs throughout the body. They placed this genus under the turma Polyplicates Erdtman 1952 and compared it with a few genera, viz. Gnetaceapollenites Thiergart 1938, Ephedripites Bolkhovitina 1953, Welwitschiapites Bolkhovitina 1953 and Vittatina Luber 1940.

We have observed that these bodies do not possess any tectate exine. The parallel ribs seem to be septate fungal mycelia arranged in longitudinal direction.

The fungal affiliation of the genus necessitates its transfer from Polyplicates to Fungi.
PUBLICATION REFERENCE Potonié R, Sah SCD. 1960. Sporae dispersae of the lignites from Cannanore beach on the Malabar coast of India; The Palaeobotanist, v. 7 (1958), p. 121-135.

Jain KP, Kar RK. 1979. Palynology of Neogene sediments around Quilon and Varkala, Kerala Coast, South India 1. Fungal remains; The Palaeobotanist, v. 26 (1977), p. 105-118.
K&J REMARKS Kalgutkar and Jansonius (2000) have reservations about the fungal nature these forms. Potonié & Sah did not see them as fungal remains, and Kalgutkar and Jansonius (2000) also have difficulty recognizing a mycelial nature of the cellular wall of these structures. Kalgutkar and Jansonius (2000) have not seen any original material, but Kalgutkar and Jansonius's (2000) preference is to consider these objects as possible seed (or megaspore) hulls.
TYPE TYPE: Lirasporis intergranifer Potonié & Sah 1960, p. 132, pl. 4, fig. 33.
ALL NAMES (Including synonyms) Lirasporis;
SERIAL NUMBER 892
PUBLIC COMMENTS
 *For source, see Publication Reference.