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Palaeolyngbya kerpii sp. nov., a large filamentous cyanobacterium with affinities to Oscillatoriaceae from the Lower Devonian Rhynie chert

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Abstract

The Lower Devonian Rhynie chert contains abundant fossil evidence of cyanobacteria. However, only a few of these fossils have been described. A newly discovered type of cyanobacterial filament is 22 to > 30 µm wide, and thus substantially larger than all filamentous cyanobacteria previously known from the Rhynie chert. Trichomes are uniseriate, composed of short, discoid cells not constricted at the cross walls, and enveloped in a distinct sheath. Because the filaments correspond in morphology to Palaeolyngbya barghoorniana, a fossil cyanobacterium described from the Precambrian, they are assigned to the fossil genus Palaeolyngbya and formally proposed as a new species, P. kerpii. Palaeolyngbya is attributed to the Oscillatoriaceae (Oscillatoriales) and compared to the modern genus Lyngbya sensu lato. All specimens of P. kerpii occur in a small area of clear chert intercalated between substrate layers, and thus support the hypothesis that substrate served as a conservation trap for delicate microbial life in the Rhynie setting.

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Acknowledgements

This article is dedicated to Hans Kerp of Münster, Germany, on the occasion of his 65th birthday. I join the paleobotanical community in saluting Hans, who has always been a highly respected mentor, colleague, and trusted friend. I am indebted to Stefan Sónyi and Helmut Martin (both Munich, Germany) for technical assistance. The paper benefited greatly from the constructive comments and suggestions of Vladimir N. Sergeev (Moscow, Russia) and Charles H. Wellman (Sheffield, UK).

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  1. SNSB-Bayerische Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Geologie München, Richard-Wagner-Straße 10, 80333, Munich, Germany

    Michael Krings

  2. Department für Geo- und Umweltwissenschaften, Paläontologie und Geobiologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Richard-Wagner-Straße 10, 80333, Munich, Germany

    Michael Krings

  3. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66045-7534, USA

    Michael Krings

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Krings, M. Palaeolyngbya kerpii sp. nov., a large filamentous cyanobacterium with affinities to Oscillatoriaceae from the Lower Devonian Rhynie chert. PalZ 93, 377–386 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12542-019-00475-w

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