Coprinites dominicana

Overview

Coprinites dominicana is known from a small mushroom fruiting body preserved in Dominican amber. Its cap, gills, and upper stalk are described. Many familiar parts can be found in this tiny mushroom inside amber.^[1]

Key facts

The original 1990 description reported a maximum cap diameter of 3.5 mm. Even the small cap inside the amber preserves the connections between gills and stalk.^[1]

Time and place

It is known from amber in the present-day Dominican Republic. It belongs to the Cenozoic, the era beginning approximately 66 million years ago. The original description and later sources treat the amber’s more precise age differently, reflecting changes in research.^[1][2][3]

The time range describes source context, not the complete duration of this species.

Size, form and skeleton

AF-9-11 preserves the cap, gills, and upper part of the stalk. A piece of the broken lower stalk was described as lying beside it. Beneath the small cap, we can examine the positions of different parts.^[1]

Habitat and reproduction

Which parts can we find in the fruiting body of a gilled mushroom? The underside of the cap, its gills, and the centrally attached stalk connect with one another. The small structures in amber can be read separately in the same sequence.^[1]

Fossil discovery

In 1990, Poinar and Singer described a gilled mushroom in Dominican amber. They explained the cap’s form and the state of preservation of the gills and stalk. The study recognized several mushroom parts in a tiny inclusion.^[1]

References

1. Upper Eocene gilled mushroom from the Dominican Republic
2. Follow-up summary — Specimens and age of Coprinites
3. International Commission on Stratigraphy (2024) — Geological time chart
4. Heads et al. (2017) — A Cretaceous mushroom with preserved cap and gills

Research questions

How can a small mushroom survive in amber? This specimen preserves the cap and upper stalk as well as a stalk fragment lying beside them. Examining the positions of each part invites us to consider how a single fruiting body was preserved.^[1]

Observation

Move your gaze from the small cap to the gills and stalk beneath it. Including the stalk fragment preserved alongside them helps us consider how the different parts inside the amber connect.^[1]