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Article: Caspary's fungi from Baltic amber: historic specimens and new evidence

Papers in Palaeontology - Volume 5 Issue 3 - Cover
Publication: Papers in Palaeontology
Volume: 5
Part: 3
Publication Date: August 2019
Page(s): 365 389
Author(s): Elina Kettunen, Eva‐Maria Sadowski, Leyla J. Seyfullah, Heinrich Dörfelt, Jouko Rikkinen, and Alexander R. Schmidt
DOI: 10.1002/spp2.1238
Addition Information

How to Cite

KETTUNEN, E., SADOWSKI, E., SEYFULLAH, L.J., DöRFELT, H., RIKKINEN, J., SCHMIDT, A.R. 2019. Caspary's fungi from Baltic amber: historic specimens and new evidence. Papers in Palaeontology, 5, 3, 365-389. DOI: /doi/10.1002/spp2.1238

Author Information

  • Elina Kettunen - Organismal & Evolutionary Biology Faculty of Biological & Environmental Sciences University of Helsinki PO Box 65 00014 Helsinki Finland
  • Eva‐Maria Sadowski - Department of Geobiology University of Göttingen Goldschmidtstraße 3 37077 Göttingen Germany
  • Leyla J. Seyfullah - Department of Geobiology University of Göttingen Goldschmidtstraße 3 37077 Göttingen Germany
  • Heinrich Dörfelt - Microbial Communication Friedrich Schiller University Jena Neugasse 25 07743 Jena Germany
  • Jouko Rikkinen - Organismal & Evolutionary Biology Faculty of Biological & Environmental Sciences University of Helsinki PO Box 65 00014 Helsinki Finland
  • Jouko Rikkinen - Finnish Museum of Natural History University of Helsinki PO Box 7 00014 Helsinki Finland
  • Alexander R. Schmidt - Department of Geobiology University of Göttingen Goldschmidtstraße 3 37077 Göttingen Germany

Publication History

  • Issue published online: 20 July 2019
  • Manuscript Accepted: 11 June 2018
  • Manuscript Received: 30 November 2017

Funded By

Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation

Online Version Hosted By

Wiley Online Library
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Abstract

Amber is a valuable source of Mesozoic and Cenozoic fossil fungi. The earliest amber‐preserved fungi were described in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries from Eocene Baltic amber. In 1907, Richard Klebs summarized the legacy of Robert Caspary based on his specimens, research notes and publications. This treatise contains descriptions and illustrations of 13 morphologies of fossil fungi which have not been investigated since. We managed to locate six of Caspary's amber specimens and imaged and re‐investigated the fossil fungi within. We provide amended descriptions of these six specimens, select new specimens from historic and recent collections which are probably conspecific with five fossils that appear to have been lost, and finally also describe and evaluate five newly found fossil fungi from Baltic amber. The fungi belong to the phylum Ascomycota (Subkingdom Dikarya). Only two of Caspary's fungi can be confidently assigned to modern genera, Metacapnodium (Metacapnodiaceae) and Calicium (Caliciaceae). The new combination Calicium succini (Caspary) Rikkinen & A. R. Schmidt is made. The fossils originally placed in Acremonium, Cetraria, Gonatobotrys, Ramularia, Stilbum and Torula cannot be assigned to these genera, and should not be used as minimum age constrains for the respective lineages.

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