Thuchomyces
| Thuchomyces Temporal range: Archean, | |
|---|---|
| Reconstruction of Thuchomyces in an Archean soil. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| (unranked): | incertae sedis |
| Genus: | †Thuchomyces Hallbauer & Jahns, 1977 |
| Species: | †T. lichenoides |
| Binomial name | |
| †Thuchomyces lichenoides Hallbauer & Jahns, 1977 | |
Thuchomyces (sometimes mistakenly called “Thucomyces”) is a genus of Archean fossils from the Witwatersrand of South Africa, and is the earliest macroscopic land life known. The generic name derives from thucholite, the carbonaceous material which Thuchomyces is preserved in, and the Ancient Greek word "myces", meaning "fungus". The specific name, lichenoides, derives from its similarity to some modern lichens.