First Record of Fungal Fruit Bodies on a Leaf from Late Eocene Rovno Amber (Ukraine)

Abstract

The first record of fruit bodies of a microscopic fungus on the leaf of an unidentified dicotyledonous plant in amber is reported. The fungus is represented by numerous superficial fruit bodies (up to 35 in total), presumably of an ascomycetous fungus, at various stages of development. Ascomata are small, single, scattered all over the surface of half a leaf, setose. Setae are numerous, stiff, brown to black, densely covering the entire surface of the ascomata. In external appearance, the fungus reminds representatives of several taxonomic groups of non-lichenized ascomycetes. However, combination of the observed morphological characters does not fit any extant genus of foliicolous ascomycetes. Most probably, this fungus belongs to the group of lichenized fungi. In our opinion, in taxonomic position it may be close to extant representatives of the family Porinaceae (Lecanoromycetes), but possesses a unique combination of morphological characteristics.