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Zygosporium palaeogibbum sp. nov. (Xylariales, Ascomycota) associated with Cinnamomum Schaeff. (Lauraceae) leaves from the Siwalik (Middle Miocene) of eastern Himalaya

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Abstract

Well-preserved remains of a mitosporic fungus were found on leaf cuticles of Cinnamomum sp. (Lauraceae) recovered from the lower Siwalik (Chunabati Formation; Middle Miocene) sedimentary stratum of Darjeeling foothills of eastern Himalaya. Based on the characteristic features (solitary vesicular conidiophores arising directly from a superficial mycelium and strongly curved, darkly pigmented, ovoid to pyriform vesicles with 1–3 celled stalk cells), it is here proposed as a new fossil species, Zygosporium palaeogibbum sp. nov. The in situ evidence of Z. palaeogibbum in appreciable numbers on the host leaf cuticles suggests the probable existence of a host-specific saprophytic relationship in the Darjeeling sub-Himalaya’s ancient warm humid tropical climate during the time of deposition. This conclusion on past climate is in agreement with published qualitative, quantitative, and palaeomycological climatic data obtained from the study of megafossil plant remains from the same fossil locality.

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Acknowledgments

SM, SK, and MAK gratefully acknowledge the Department of Botany, Sidho-Kanho-Birsha University for providing infrastructural facilities to accomplish this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Palaeobotany, Palynology and Evolution Laboratory, Department of Botany, Sidho-Kanho-Birsha University, Ranchi Road, Purulia, 723104, India

    Sumana Mahato, Sampa Kundu & Mahasin Ali Khan

  2. CERZOS-UNS, CONICET-CCT Bahía Blanca, Camino La Carrindanga km 7, B8000FWB, Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Maria Virginia Bianchinotti

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  1. Sumana Mahato
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  2. Maria Virginia Bianchinotti
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  3. Sampa Kundu
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  4. Mahasin Ali Khan
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All authors contributed to the study’s conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Sumana Mahato, Sampa Kundu, and Mahasin Ali Khan. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Sumana Mahato, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Mahasin Ali Khan.

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Mahato, S., Bianchinotti, M.V., Kundu, S. et al. Zygosporium palaeogibbum sp. nov. (Xylariales, Ascomycota) associated with Cinnamomum Schaeff. (Lauraceae) leaves from the Siwalik (Middle Miocene) of eastern Himalaya. Mycol Progress 23, 27 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11557-024-01962-4

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