 |
| Megaglomerospora lealiae in Correia, Sá et Pereira, 2025. |
Highlights:
• Fossil fungi discovered in the continental Carboniferous of Portugal.
• New fossil fungus is erected based on a dense cluster of unusual silicified large spores.
• Megaglomerospora lealiae is the first record of Glomeromycotan fungal spores from the Carboniferous of Iberia.
• Megaglomerospora lealiae represents the largest Glomeromycotan fungal spores documented so far.
• New insights on the diversity of the Glomeromycotan spores and the Carboniferous endomycorrhizal fungi.
Abstract
A new genus and species of fossil fungus, Megaglomerospora lealiae, is described from the Buçaco Carboniferous Basin (upper Stephanian C, Upper Pennsylvanian, upper Carboniferous), in central western Portugal. The new fossil fungus consists of a dense cluster of silicified large spores. These new fungal spores are oblong, subelliptical to subspherical-shaped, with a glabrous surface characterized by having a lipid-filled lumen, and display a strong septate-like hypha attached. The presence of lobe-shaped germination shields suggests close affinities to Diversisporales (Glomeromycota). Megaglomerospora lealiae nov. gen., nov. sp. is remarkably distinctive because it is by far the largest fossil fungal spore (∼1.6 mm long) documented for the phylum Glomeromycota. This is the first report of an endomycorrhizal‐like fungus from the Carboniferous of Iberia.
Systematic palaeomycology
Domain Eukaryota Chatton, 1925
Kingdom Fungi Moore, 1980
Division Glomeromycota Walker et Schüßler, 2004
Class Glomeromycetes Cavalier-Smith, 1998
Order Diversisporales Walker et Schüßler, 2004
Family Incertae sedis
Genus Megaglomerospora Correia, Sá et Pereira, nov.
Pedro Correia, Artur A. Sá and Zélia Pereira. 2025. Megaglomerospora lealiae nov. gen., nov. sp. from the upper Carboniferous of Portugal: the Largest glomeromycotan fungal spores. Geobios. 91; 1-9. DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.geobios.2024.11.010