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554 / Paleozoic
Nematothallus
Nematothallus
Carbonized cell sheets and tangled tubes came from an enigmatic early terrestrial organism.
- Time range
- About 443–393 million years ago
- Final stage
- Early Devonian
- Geographic range
- Damp ground and shallow-water margins · Europe and North America
01 / DEFINITION & ECOLOGY
What was Nematothallus?
Nematothallus (Nematothallus) was an extinct organism known from About 443–393 million years ago, with a range in Damp ground and shallow-water margins · Europe and North America.
Life and ecology
It may have formed low fungal, lichen-like or thalloid mats that helped shape the earliest soils.
02 / DISAPPEARANCE
Why did Nematothallus disappear?
Expanding vascular plants and terrestrial ecosystems replaced this body form.
03 / EVIDENCE
How do scientists know about Nematothallus?
Cuticular sheets, tubes and spore-like structures are known, but fungal, algal and plant affinities remain debated.
04 / SOURCES & FURTHER READING
Check the source record
Use the scientific name to compare taxonomy, occurrence records and the fossil record. Database coverage and classifications may differ.
05 / REVISION HISTORY
How has this record changed?
- Verified authoritative entity sources and added three responsive reconstruction sizes.
- Initial bilingual species record published.
06 / CORRECTIONS & ADDITIONS