Protomycena: Extinct, Monotypic, Agaricales, Fungus, Mycenaceae, Miocene, Burdigalian, David S. Hibbett, David Grimaldi, American Journal of Botany

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Protomycena is an extinct monotypic genus of gilled fungus in the Agaricales family Mycenaceae. At present it contains the single species Protomycena electra. The genus is solely known from the early Miocene, Burdigalian stage, Dominican amber deposits on the island of Hispaniola. Protomycena is one of only four known agarics fungus species known in the fossil record and the second to be described from Dominican amber. The holotype of Protomycena is a lone fruit body without any associated structures, preserved in a piece of clear light yellow amber approximately 4.5-2.5 cm (1.8-0.98 in) wide. The pileus is 5 mm (0.2 in) in diameter and has a convex shape, sporting a raised central region (an umbo). The pale flesh appears yellowish in the amber, and is smooth and glossy, changing to striate and slightly translucent towards the margin.