Additional observations on the fungal reproductive unit Windipila spinifera from the Windyfield chert, and description of a similar form, Windipila pumila nov. sp., from the nearby Rhynie chert (Lower Devonian, Scotland)

Abstract

New specimens of the fungal reproductive unit Windipila spinifera from the Lower Devonian Windyfield chert (Scotland) are better preserved than the original material, and thus now permit a more precise definition and photographic documentation of this peculiar microfossil. A mantle composed of circumferential hyphae and prominent, thin-walled projections extending out from the mantle characterize W. spinifera. Similar mantle architecture also occurs in a newly discovered reproductive unit from the coeval Rhynie chert;however, this fossil is smaller than W. spinifera and the projections are less prominent. We therefore propose the new species Windipila pumila nov. sp. for the Rhynie chert form. This contribution expands the inventory of morphologically distinctive, structurally preserved Early Devonian fungal fossils.