NAME Trichopeltinites kiandrensis
AGE Early Miocene.   AGE span: 23.03...15.97 mya
K&J CLASSIFICATION (2000) Ascomycetes, Microthyriales.
FIGURE(S)
Image of
Pl.24fig.5.jpg
FIGURE REFERENCE Selkirk DR. 1975. Tertiary fossil fungi from Kiandra, New South Wales; Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, v. 100, p. 70-94.
SPECIES, AUTHORITY T. kiandrensis Selkirk 1975, p. 85, pl. 4, figs. 1-4 [here fig. 6 is illustrated].
LOCATION Kiandra, New South Wales, Australia.
ORIG DESCRIPTION* Mycelium a radiate prosenchymatous membrane one cell thick; no free outgrowths from the margin. Mycelial membrane linear, branched, often almost circular where crowded. Individual hyphae dichotomously branched, septate; cells square to rectangular, 4-26 µm long and 2-5 µm wide; hyphal walls straight, ca. 0.5 µm thick. Fructifications formed centrally under the mycelial membrane, 50-185 µm diameter. Cells above fructifications markedly shorter than elsewhere in the membrane, 4-10.5 µm long, thick-walled. Upper wall of fructification of radiate dichotomously branched hyphae.
COMMENTS* Cookson (1947a) commented on the close similarity of Trichopeltinites pulcher to the modern Trichopeltis reptans Speg. The fossil form described above is very similar. The taxonomy of the modern species is somewhat confused. Hughes (1953b) regarded Trichopeltis Speg. as a synonym of Trichothyrium Speg. (Trichothyriaceae). Batista et al. (1957) proposed the name Trichopeltum to replace Trichopeltis and several species of Trichopeltum have been described. In these, as in the fossil form, the fructification is developed beneath the mycelial membrane. In Trichothyrium the ascomata are superficial.

Colony shape in Trichopeltinites kiandrensis is very variable. All gradations from narrow linear thalli to almost circular colonies with tongue-like lobes occur (pl. 4, figs. 1, 2). Fructifications occur in most colonies. They appear as darker areas in the membrane, due to the thickened walls of cells over the fruiting body (pl. 4, fig. 2). Many fructifications have a centrally placed hole which probably represents a lysigenous pseudo-ostiole as developed in modern species (Stevens, 1925). Trichopeltinites kiandrensis appears to be intermediate between Trichopeltinites pulcher (Cookson, 1947a) and Trichopeltinites fusilis (Dilcher, 1965).
PUBLICATION REFERENCE Selkirk DR. 1975. Tertiary fossil fungi from Kiandra, New South Wales; Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, v. 100, p. 70-94.
K&J REMARKS The holotype at low magnification (30x) is seen as a multiply-branched ribbon of thalli, that locally spread out to form circular or scale-like lobes housing darker ascomata, most of which have a lysigenous ostiole. The thalli show additional pseudo-ostioles, that appear to have been dissolved at haphazard locations, where no thickened or darkened tissues of ascomata are developed.

The shape of the hyphal cells was best demonstrated in Selkirk's fig. 6, but appear to be identical to that seen in the holotype.
TYPE
ALL NAMES (Including synonyms) Trichopeltinites kiandrensis
SERIAL NUMBER 1724
PUBLIC COMMENTS
 *For source, see Publication Reference.