Ecology & Biology

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Study

100-Million-Year-Old Mushroom Found Preserved in Amber

100-Million-Year-Old Mushroom Found Preserved in Amber

Parolactarius

What they found

A tiny gilled mushroom preserved in 100-million-year-old Myanmar amber shows modern mushroom groups existed in the dinosaur era.

A tiny gilled mushroom preserved in 100-million-year-old Myanmar amber shows modern mushroom groups existed in the dinosaur era.

The number

100-million-year-old amber

How solid is it?

Field study

Field study

Field/ecology

Field/ecology

Evidence ladder: Lab dish → Animal → Early human → Strong human. Reviews summarize earlier research.

At a glance

Latin name

Parolactarius pilosus

Parolactarius pilosus

Published in

National Academy Science Letters

National Academy Science Letters

Covered in Shroom Scan

Section

ECOLOGY & CONSERVATION

ECOLOGY & CONSERVATION

As it ran in Shroom Scan

Mushroom Fossil

Mushroom Fossil

A tiny gilled mushroom (Parolactarius pilosus) was found perfectly preserved in 100-million-year-old amber from Myanmar. The fossil fruiting body is only ~2.5 mm tall, covered in fine hairs, and clearly shows modern gill structure. This proves that advanced mushroom groups like the Russulaceae and ectomycorrhizal fungi already existed in the mid-Cretaceous period when dinosaurs dominated the planet.

A tiny gilled mushroom (Parolactarius pilosus) was found perfectly preserved in 100-million-year-old amber from Myanmar. The fossil fruiting body is only ~2.5 mm tall, covered in fine hairs, and clearly shows modern gill structure. This proves that advanced mushroom groups like the Russulaceae and ectomycorrhizal fungi already existed in the mid-Cretaceous period when dinosaurs dominated the planet.

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