NAME Palaeomycites Meschinelli 1902.
AGE    AGE span:  mya
K&J CLASSIFICATION (2000) Chytridiomycetes, Chytridiales; or: Zygomycetes, Endogonales; or: Oomycetes, Peronosporales. See REMARKS by Kalgutkar and Jansonius (2000) under Palaeomycites.
FIGURE(S)
FIGURE REFERENCE
SPECIES, AUTHORITY Propythium Elias 1966, p. 10.
LOCATION
ORIG DESCRIPTION* ORIGINAL DIAGNOSIS: Hyphae fully endobryozoan [i.e., found on inside lining of marine bryozoan shells], straight, usually aseptate, except when old, and in no connection with zoosporangia (fig. 14). Periplasm mostly not developed; or, on the contrary, becomes very thick and may extend over the adjacent hypha (figs. 17-18). Rhythmic transverse vacuolation occasionally develops in distal part of the narrower than usual, apparently vegetative hyphae (fig. 13). Apical papillae of varied length are frequently developed. Antheridia, if correctly so interpreted (fig. 12a), are developed far from oogonia.

Monotypic.
COMMENTS* Many previously described fossil "Saprolegniales", whose names imply affiliation with Peronospora, should be placed rather in Pythiaceae. Such are the Carboniferous Peronospora Smith (1877) and Peronosporites antiquarius Smith (1877, p. 499), which are encountered in the cells of the apparently submerged dead stems and barks of Lepidodendron (see Seward, 1898, p. 215-219). To Pythiaceae belong also the fossil Palaeomyces gracilis Renault (1896), Protomycites protogens (W. Sm.) Meschinelli (1902) and the numerous species of the "formgenus" Palaeomyces established by Kidston & Lang (1921, p. 857-870).

Propythium differs from the above named fossil Pythiaceae by the prominently developed apical papillae, and long and straight tubular hyphae. It differs from Peronospora and other Peronosporaceae sensu stricto by these same characters, by the absence of branching of hyphae, and the absence of independent conidia. Differs from the nearest of it, Pythium, Pythiopsis, and Phytophthora, by much straighter hyphae, longer hypha-like apical papillae, and development of antheridia -- if any -- far from oogonia.
PUBLICATION REFERENCE Elias MK. 1966. Living and fossil algae and fungi, formerly known as structural parts of marine bryozoans; The Palaeobotanist, v. 14 (1965), p. 5-18.
K&J REMARKS Kalgutkar and Jansonius (2000) consider Propythium to be a junior taxonomic synonym of Palaeomycites, and transfer its type, P. carbonarium, to the latter genus.
TYPE TYPE: Propythium carbonarium Elias 1966, p. 10, fig. 14 [lectotype, selected by Jansonius & Hills (1979), card no. 3593, from a collection of line drawings].
ALL NAMES (Including synonyms) Palaeomycites Meschinelli 1902.;
SERIAL NUMBER 1442
PUBLIC COMMENTS
 *For source, see Publication Reference.