NAME Parmathyrites
AGE    AGE span:  mya
K&J CLASSIFICATION (2000) Ascomycetes, Microthyriales.
FIGURE(S)
FIGURE REFERENCE
SPECIES, AUTHORITY Parmathyrites Jain & Gupta 1970, p. 177.
LOCATION
ORIG DESCRIPTION* ORIGINAL DIAGNOSIS: (Jain & Gupta): Ascomata flattened, non-ostiolate; ± circular, one layer thick; hyphae radially arranged, interconnected, forming pseudoparenchymatous non-porate cells. Outer peripheral cells prominent with thickened radial walls, spines peripheral, spine sheath present or absent. Ascospore unknown.

EMENDED DIAGNOSES (Jain 1974, p. 44): Ascomata ostiolate, flattened, circular, one layer thick, hyphae radially arranged, interconnected, forming pseudoparenchymatous non-porate cells. Outer peripheral cells prominent with thickened radial walls, spines peripheral, spine sheath present or absent, ascospores unknown. Ostiole distinct, not surrounded by any specialized cells.

(Gupta 1994, p. 251): Ascomata ostiolate [or] nonostiolate, generally circular-subcircular, flattened, one cell layer thick; hyphae radially arranged, interconnected, forming pseudoparenchyma; spines peripheral, spine sheath present or absent, ascospores unknown.
COMMENTS* (Jain & Gupta): Parmathyrites is comparable to Phragmothyrites Edwards 1922 and Microthyriacites Cookson 1947a in having non-ostiolate and non-porate nature of the pseudoparenchyma formed by radially arranged interconnected hyphae. But it differs in having a peripheral sheath of spines around the fruiting body.

(Jain): The holotype on which Jain & Gupta (1970, pl. 1, fig. 1) based the generic diagnosis of Parmathyrites did not show a well preserved central portion, and hence the occurrence of an ostiole was doubtfully interpreted. Recently Kar et al. (1972) have reported a new species of Parmathyrites from the Tura Formation, Assam, that has a well marked central portion. The re-examination of the type slides of Parmathyrites turaensis Kar et al. 1972 confirms the presence of a hexagonal ostiole in the centre without thick-walled specialized cells around it. The diagnosis of the genus Parmathyrites Jain & Gupta 1970 is, therefore, emended. I propose to place this genus along with ostiolate taxa without specialized cells such as Paramicrothallites, under the scheme put forth by Jain & Gupta (1970).

(Gupta): Jain & Gupta (1970) established the genus Parmathyrites for non-ostiolate forms. Jain (1974) emended the genus to contain ostiolate forms, regarding the holotype as having inadequate preservation of the ostiolar region. The subsequent species Parmathyrites turaensis Kar, Singh & Sah 1972 is also ostiolate. Parmathyrites robustus Jain & Kar 1979 and P. sp. (Kar & Saxena, 1981) are clearly non-ostiolate showing thickened/dark central cells. This specimen, the fruiting body shown by Tilgner (1954, fig. 1), placed as Parmathyrites sp. by Jain & Gupta (1970) and P. indicus by Singh & Sarkar (1984), contains a more or less similar central region. Since a number of species showing stages intermediate between ostiolate and non-ostiolate are also available, the separation of ostiolate and non-ostiolate is untenable. The diagnosis of this genus is therefore emended to include all the forms.
PUBLICATION REFERENCE Jain KP, Gupta RC. 1970. Some fungal remains from the Tertiaries of Kerala Coast; The Palaeobotanist, v. 18 (1969), p. 177-182.

Jain KP. 1974. Fossil fungi; in SURANGE, K.R., LAKHANPAL, R.N., & BHARDWAJ. D.C., (ed.), Aspects and Appraisal of Indian Palaeobotany, Birbal Salmi Institute of Palaeobotany, Lucknow, India, p. 38-46.

Gupta A. 1994. Fungal fruiting bodies from Lower Tertiary sediments of Sirmaur district, Himachal Pradesh, India; Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, v. 115, p. 247-259.
K&J REMARKS This genus is easily recognized by the prominent spines arising from the peripheral cells of the ascomata. Kalgutkar and Jansonius (2000) consider the presence or absence of an ostiole to have no diagnostic importance; however, its presence or absence should be mentioned in descriptions.
TYPE TYPE: Parmathyrites indicus Jain & Gupta 1970, p. 177, pl. fig. 1.
ALL NAMES (Including synonyms) Parmathyrites;
SERIAL NUMBER 1269
PUBLIC COMMENTS
 *For source, see Publication Reference.