Appianoporites

Appianoporites is an extinct monotypic genus of fungus in the Agaricomycetes family Hymenochaetaceae. At present it contains the single species Appianoporites vancouverensis.

The genus is solely known from the Eocene Appian Way deposits on Vancouver Island. Appianoporites, the first fossil fungus species to be described from the Appian Way strata, is one of only three found on Vancouver Island, British Columbia: the agaricomycete Quatsinoporites cranhamii was described from a Cretaceous fossil at the same time as Appianoporites, while a third fungus, Margaretbarromyces dictyosporus was described three years later.

The genus is known only from the single holotype, a partial bracket fungus fruiting body, or conk. The specimen, AW 104 D top, is currently residing in the collections housed by the Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria. The specimen was collected south of the Campbell River on the eastern shore of Vancouver Island. The partial conk was preserved in a calcareous nodule recovered from a silty mudstone matrix. The nodules formed in a shallow marine environment along with abundant plant material.

It was first studied by a group of researchers consisting of Selena Smith, Randolph Currah and Ruth Stockey, all from the University of Alberta. Smith and colleagues published their 2004 type description in the journal Mycologia volume 96. The generic epithet Appianoporites was coined from a combination of Appian in reference to the type locality and "porites" to reflect that it is a polypore fungus. The specific epithet "vancouverensis" was proposed in recognition of Vancouver Island, where the fossil deposits are.