Thuchomyces

Thuchomyces is a genus of Archean fossils recovered from the Witwatersrand Supergroup of South Africa, representing the earliest known macroscopic land life. Its exact biological affinity remains uncertain, and it is classified as incertae sedis: although its name and the resemblance of its type species Thuchomyces lichenoides to modern lichens once suggested a fungal or lichen identity, it is now considered almost certainly not a lichen, or even a eukaryote at all. The genus name combines a reference to thucholite, the carbonaceous material in which it is preserved, with the Ancient Greek word for fungus.