NAME Tympanicysta
AGE    AGE span:  mya
K&J CLASSIFICATION (2000) Phragmosporae? (on the basis of the potential to form chains).
FIGURE(S)
FIGURE REFERENCE
SPECIES, AUTHORITY Tympanicysta Balme 1980, p. 22.
LOCATION
ORIG DESCRIPTION* ORIGINAL DIAGNOSIS: Cyst-like microfossils occurring as isolated individuals or linked into short linear chains. Individual vesicles hollow or containing small masses of amorphous material, which in some specimens simulate the shrunken shape of the enclosing vesicle. Vesicles originally subcylindrical, ovoid, fusiform or clavate; wall inaperturate, about 2 µm thick, without sculpture or obvious internal structure. A rim-like thickening of the wall, surrounding a shallow depression, is developed at both extremities in most specimens, but in some occurs only at one. When they occur in chains, the vesicles are joined along the crests or adjacent terminal rims. The length of the major axis of individual vesicles varies between about 50 and 250 µm, and the ratio of length to maximum diameter is variable. Some specimens are long and slender, others short and stout.

Monotypic.

In Foveofusa the wall is perforate to pitted; it was not described as occurring in chains.
COMMENTS*
PUBLICATION REFERENCE Balme BE. 1980. Palynology of Permian-Triassic boundary beds at Kap Stosch, East Greenland; Meddelelser om Grønland Udgivne af Kommissionen for Videnskabelige Undersogelser i Grønland, Nyt Nordisk Forlag Arnold Busck, Kobenhaven, Bd. 200, Nr. 6, p. 1-37.
K&J REMARKS Jansonius & Hills (Genera File of Fossil Spores, 1981, card 3926) reported that Balme, in a pers. comm., considered Tympanicysta to be a junior synonym of Chordecystia.

Wood & Elsik (1999) extended the morphological width of this type of enigmatic fossil, by assigning Late Pennsylvanian material to this species (as Reduviasporonites). However, the obvious differences from Late Permian assemblages [by comparing with the plates in Elsik (1999)] raises the question if all these specimens are indeed one species. Particularly the Pennsylvanian material seems to evoke an animal (coelenterate?) affinity more than a fungal one.

See also remarks from Kalgutkar and Jansonius (2000) under Foveofusa.
TYPE TYPE: Tympanicysta stoschiana Balme 1980, p. 22, pl. 1, fig. 7.
ALL NAMES (Including synonyms) Tympanicysta;
SERIAL NUMBER 1759
PUBLIC COMMENTS
 *For source, see Publication Reference.