Didymium xerophilum Lado, Estrada & D. Wrigley, 2015

Treviño-Zevallos, Italo, García-Cunchillos, Iván, Basanta, Diana Wrigley De & Lado, Carlos, 2023, Diversity of Myxomycetes from Peru Part III: The high Andes and the altiplano, Phytotaxa 624 (1), pp. 1-92 : 45

78. Didymium xerophilum Lado, Estrada & D. Wrigley , in Wrigley de Basanta, Lado, García-Martín & Estrada-Torres, Mycologia 107(1): 161 (2015)

Specimens examined. PERU. Arequipa: Arequipa, Yura, Sumbay , Cañahuas , route PE-1SE, km 9, 4230 m, 15º59′13.2”S, 71º23′04.9”W, 7 Oct 2012, branches of Parastrephia lepidophylla, Lado 22276 (MA-Fungi 86890, USM), Lado 22277 (MA-Fungi 86891, USM), leaves of Stipa ichu, Lado 22283 (MA-Fungi 86892, USM). Chiguata, route PE-34C, 31 km east of Chiguata , 4053 m, 16º23′35.6”S, 71º19′07.2”W, 10 Oct 2012, branches, leaves and bark of Polylepis rugulosa, Lado 22344 (MA-Fungi 86893), Lado 22359 (MA-Fungi 86894, USM), Lado 22360 (MA-Fungi 86895, USM). Chiguata, La Cruz del Symbral , 4243 m, 16°23′02”S, 71°18′48”W, 4 Jan 2019, on debris of Yareta, Treviño Myx 601 (HSP), Treviño Myx 605 (MA-Fungi 97930, HSP), Treviño Myx 612 (HSP). Chiguata, Chotaglla, after The Symbral tunnel, 4453 m, 16°22′20”S, 71°16′56”W, 15 May 2017, on debris of Azorella compacta, Treviño Myx 68 (MA-Fungi 97920, HSP). Caylloma, San Antonio de Chuca , route PE-34A, km 157, 18 km west of Imata , 4444 m, 15º52′40.5”S, 71º08′54.9”W, 8 Oct 2012, branches and leaf litter of Parastrephia phylicaeformis, Lado 22241 (MA-Fungi 86884), Lado 22243 (MA-Fungi 86885, USM), Lado 22244 (MA-Fungi 86886, USM), Lado 22245 (MA-Fungi 86887, USM), Lado 22247 (MA-Fungi 86888, USM). Chivay, route PE-1SE, km 60, 24 km south of Chivay , 4747 m, 15º42′41.4”S, 71º36′22.1”W, 9 Oct 2012, living branches of Azorella compacta, Lado 22271 (MA-Fungi 94808, USM). Callalli, route 34E towards Samaccota, 4543 m, 15°28′29”S, 71°22′35”W, 27 May 2017, on debris of Bacharis tricuneata, Treviño Myx 94 (MA-Fungi 97925, HSP) . Ayacucho: Lucanas, Abra Condorcenca , route PE-30A, km 99, 4130 m, 14º39′39.3”S, 74º18′43.1”W, 27 Sep 2012, leaf litter of Asteraceae, Lado 21888 (MAFungi 86883) . Huancavelica: Huancavelica, Ascensión, route PE-26, km 91, 6 km south of Chuñaranra , 3908 m, 12º49′18”S, 75º03′58”W, 24 Apr 2017, leaves, bark and twigs of Polylepis sp. , Lado 25190 (MA-Fungi 96374, USM), branches and leaf litter of Polylepis sp. , Lado 25194 (MA-Fungi 96378), bark of Polylepis sp. , Lado 25196 (MAFungi 96380), Lado 25197 (MA-Fungi 96381, USM), branches of Polylepis sp. , Lado 25198 (MA-Fungi 96382), Lado 25199 (MA-Fungi 96383, USM), bark and branches of Polylepis sp. , Lado 25200 (MA-Fungi 96384, USM), twigs, Lado 25201 (MA-Fungi 96385, USM), bark of Polylepis sp. , Lado 25202 (MA-Fungi 96386), Lado 25203 (MA-Fungi 96387, USM), Lado 25204 (MA-Fungi 96388) . Moquegua: Mariscal Nieto, Torata , route PE-34D, km 76, 4130 m, 16º58′45.0”S, 70º41′29.9”W, 7 Oct 2012, leaf litter of Polylepis rugulosa, Lado 22185 (MA-Fungi 94738, USM), Lado 22188 (MA-Fungi 86896, USM), bark of Polylepis rugulosa, Lado 22189 (MA-Fungi 86897, USM), Lado 22192 (MA-Fungi 86898, USM). Torata, Chillihua, route PE-34D, km 88, 4580 m, 16º54′55.9”S, 70º38′52.9”W, 7 Oct 2012, living and dead twigs, leaf litter of Parastrephia lepidophylla, Lado 22200 (MA-Fungi 94749), leaves of Festuca orthophylla, Lado 22202 (MA-Fungi 86889) .

Notes. Similar to D. infundibuliforme , with a calcareous stalk and an invagination of the sporotheca, but differing by the taller sporocarps, 0.75– 2 mm in D. xerophilum vs. 0.2–0.6 mm in D. infundibuliforme , the true columella to which the funnel is attached, and the presence of lime in the hypothallus, that is common to several sporocarps, in D. xerophilum . Some of these collections were included in the original description of the species ( Wrigley de Basanta et al. 2015), where a phylogenetic analysis separates it from related species.