Palaeoglomus

Palaeoglomus ("ancient ball") is a genus of microscopic mycorrhizal fossil, found in palynological preparations of rocks which separate out organic remains by acid dissolution.

Palaeoglomus Temporal range: Middle Ordovician–Early Devonian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Spore and arbuscle of Palaeoglomus strotheri, from Douglas Lake Member of Lenoir Limestone, at Douglas Dam, Tennessee[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Glomeromycota
Class:	Glomerales
Family:	Glomeraceae
Genus:	Palaeoglomus Redecker et al. (2002)[2]
Type species
Palaeoglomus grayi Redecker et al. (2002)

Description

Palaeoglomus has large spherical to ellipsoidal spores with multilayered walls, as well as irregularly shaped vesicles, attached to aseptate hyphae.

Species

Palaeoglomus grayi type species from the Middle Ordovician Guttenberg Formation near Platteville, Wisconsin.^[2]

Palaeoglomus boullardi from the Early Devonian Rhynie Chert bear Rhynie, Scotland.^[3]

Palaeoglomus strotheri from the Middle Ordovician (Darriwilian, 460 million years old) Douglas Lake Member of the Lenoir Limestone from Douglas Dam, Tennessee.^[1]

Biological affinities

Palaeoglomus is similar to modern mycorrhizae such as Glomus.