NAME Tribolites Bradley 1964.
AGE    AGE span:  mya
K&J CLASSIFICATION (2000) Fungi Imperfecti, Staurosporae.
FIGURE(S)
FIGURE REFERENCE
SPECIES, AUTHORITY Trihyphaecites Peppers 1970, p. 135.
LOCATION
ORIG DESCRIPTION* ORIGINAL DIAGNOSIS: The fossils are composed of radially symmetrical, triangular to roundly triangular bodies that give rise to septate hyphae from each of the corners. Septa are also present at the corners where the hyphae are joined to the body. The hyphae may consist of one segment with a well rounded terminal end or may be of several segments in which the terminal end is either well rounded or broken. The fossils generally possess minor folds and are slightly torn. They are levigate and about 1 µm thick. The triangular central body is generally thicker than the hyphae. Known size range from one corner to the opposite side of the triangular body is 32.2 to 48.8 µm.

Monotypic.
COMMENTS* The genus Trihyphaecites is characterized by its triangular body with septate hyphae at each of the corners. These plant fossils may be fungal spores.
PUBLICATION REFERENCE Peppers RA. 1970. Correlation and palynology of coals in Carbondale and Spoon formations (Pennsylvanian) of the northeastern part of the Illinois Basin; Illinois State Geological Survey Bulletin, no. 93, 173 p.
K&J REMARKS Trihyphaecites was originally diagnosed as having three hypha-like projections, and Tribolites as having four (Elsik, 1992). Kalgutkar and Jansonius (2000) consider that the type species of these two monotypic genera are sufficiently close in structural characters that they should be combined into a single genus. Tribolites has seniority.

Trihyphaecites fractus is transferred to a new genus Trihyphites, because its structure differs in lacking a large central cell.
TYPE TYPE: Trihyphaecites triangulatus Peppers 1970, p. 135, pl. 14, fig. 13.
ALL NAMES (Including synonyms) Tribolites Bradley 1964.;
SERIAL NUMBER 1744
PUBLIC COMMENTS
 *For source, see Publication Reference.