NAME Retihelicosporonites
AGE    AGE span:  mya
K&J CLASSIFICATION (2000) Fungi Imperfecti, Helicosporae.
FIGURE(S)
FIGURE REFERENCE
SPECIES, AUTHORITY Retihelicosporonites Ramanujam & Rao 1978, p. 299.
LOCATION
ORIG DESCRIPTION* ORIGINAL DIAGNOSIS: Spores simple, uniseriate, multicellular, inaperturate, basal cell cuneate, other cells rectangular; apical part of spore helical. Spore wall reticulate.

Monotypic.
COMMENTS* Helical spores of this kind were found in the Varkallai and Alleppey samples of the Warkalli beds and in the Padappakkara clays of Quilon beds. Involutisporonites (Elsik, 1968), although multiseptate and helical, is distinguishable by its monoporate and psilate nature. Helical spores (conidia) are found in various hyphomycetes, viz., Helicoma, Helicomina, Helicoon, Helicodendron, Xenosporella, Hiospira etc. (Barnett, 1956; Ellis, 1971; Ainsworth et al. 1973). In possessing a reticulate cell wall the fossil spores show remarkable resemblance to the conidia of the Hiospira state of Brooksia tropicalis. Hiospira is commonly encountered in moist tropical regions.
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 Elsik (1992) considered spores of Retihelicosporonites to be monoporate and differentiated them from other multicellate monoporate form genera on their combination of reticulate sculpture and their tendency to be loosely coiled.
TYPE TYPE: Retihelicosporonites elsikii Ramanujam & Rao 1978, p. 299, pl. 3, figs. 37-38.
ALL NAMES (Including synonyms) Retihelicosporonites;
SERIAL NUMBER 1533
PUBLIC COMMENTS
 *For source, see Publication Reference.