Abstract
We report the in situ occurrence of a new species of Meliolinites (fossil Meliolaceae, Ascomycota), Meliolinites pliocenicus, on the lower epidermal surface of fossilized angiosperm leaf of Shorea siwalika (Dipterocarpaceae) recovered from the middle Siwalik stratum (Subansiri Formation: Pliocene) of Arunachal sub-Himalaya. This fungal morph is characterized by well-preserved unique mycelia consisting of superficial, dark brown, thick-walled, branching hyphae with appressoria as well as phialides and dispersed ellipsoidal, 3-septate, 4-celled, dark brown ascospores. The in situ evidence of the fungus on the fossil leaf cuticle indicates the prevalence of a warm, humid, tropical climate in Arunachal sub-Himalaya during the deposition and further suggests that a possible host-ectoparasite relationship existed in the ancient forest of this area during the Pliocene time.
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