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Recently, guidelines for posting in the ID section were put in the FAQ section: "Identification Posting For The Uninitiated". There, handy tips are provided to help people pose their ID questions in such a way that other members get the information needed to help them come to a conclusive identification (good photographs, any available age/locality data, etc.). All in all a very useful shortlist. However, reading it I felt something was missing. If someone takes the trouble of producing good photographs and provides all age/locality data he/she has, then this person deserves an answer to match the effort. Therefore, it would be nice if "Identification Posting For The Uninitiated" also includes a "how to properly respond" section. Not sure whether I am in the position to write this, but here are a few things I believe would help posters who respond to ID requests provide answers that are of better assistance with identification. >Please provide your arguments as to why you come to a certain identification (diagnostic features visible on presented photo, age constraints, etc.). These arguments are much more educative than the species name you provide: "what properties do I need to pay attention to if I want to distinguish X from Y?" (Being grossly similar to some specimen on a photo found online is a rather poor argumentation if without any additional reasoning.) >Please accept uncertainty. Sometimes specimens are too poorly preserved (i.e. lacking diagnostic features) and cannot be identified up to species or even generic level. In these cases, providing an identification up to some higher hierarchical level (e.g. order, phylum) is just as valuable. Actually, it is more valuable than an incorrect (misleading) ID at the species level, if you ask me. >Please try to provide references. This could be Google images of similar specimens, but should ideally also be literature references. God knows my own answers in the ID section often don't comply with the standard set above, so I don't really have a right to talk, I guess. However, it is good for us all to have something like this to aim for while providing answers in the ID section. Also, are any additions to the list?

Fossilized mushrooms come up from time to time on the ID forum and I was wondering what fossil fungi are known. Let me know if I'm leaving any significant examples out. Fungal rot in petrified wood: Polyporites wardii Fungus trapped in amber: Parasitic fungus erupting from an ant in amber: Mushroom in shale: Rhynie chert microfossils (and similar microfossils at Gray in TN): Prototaxites, the giant (30') tree-like fungus of the ordovicadian:

Just as the title asks. What are the oldest known micro fossils and from when. What examples are available to see? My other ask is where can I find clear examples of algae ( oldest) and other fungi or alike filaments? My finds with algae and fungi are what seem to be sporulating nodes from fungi while the algae forms in chains like 6's stacked alternating direction. I say fungi because they appear to show clamp connections through the hypha and asexual sporulation without a fruiting body. The interesting thing of some of those connections cross to what appear to be other fungi that look completely different. This could be due to like what we see today where the incomplete genetic mycelium needing to pair with another to create a sexually viable colony. I have found some cool stuff... no one believes me. That's just fine. I have a clear picture of an isopod that looks like a 120micron ish. I need to do the picture pixel scale for a better measurement. It came from inside a solid junk of quartz cavity. My geology, according to my states survey, puts me Precambrian and earlier. I thought at one point it was up to the Ordovician but more research found that is not the case. Ignore Nevada. I am not in Nevada. I will do the work and share my findings when I am done and satisfied I have no contamination with repeatable findings in impossible places for them to reach. If you don't agree with me, cool, you can tell me! I'm ok with it. Please also answer my questions if you can though. Thanks every one!