Reduviasporonites or Tympanicysta are palynomorphs — microfossils which appear to be fungal or algal cells or spores. They were first described from specimens found in the

Flowerpot Formation The Flowerpot Formation is a Formation (geology), geologic formation in Oklahoma. It preserves fossils dating back to the Permian Period (geology), period. See also * List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Oklahoma * Paleontology in Oklah ...

by L. R. Wilson in 1962. That first paper conjectured that they were a type of '' Penicillium'' fungus. Another analysis suggested that they might have been

algal Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...

. They have been classified as phragmospores, having cell walls in a ladder-like formation. They are of interest as possible evidence for a spike in fungal abundance associated with the Permian–Triassic extinction event.

References

Fossil taxa described in 1962 {{paleo-stub