Licea belmontiana Nann.

Basanta, Diana Wrigley De, Mier, Carlos De & Lado, Carlos, 2023, A taxonomic revision of the species of Licea subg. Licea (Myxomycetes), Phytotaxa 629 (2), pp. 95-128 : 101

4. Licea belmontiana Nann. -Bremek., Proc. Kon. Ned. Akad. Wetensch., C. 69(3): 337 (1966). Figs. 4A–J

Sporophores sporocarpic, dispersed or grouped, sessile. Sporocarps subglobose, angular, 0.05–0.2 mm diam., dark brown. Peridium apparently single, brown by TL with preformed dehiscence lines; dehiscence into polygonal plates that remain vertical like petals with smooth edges without outgrowths but minutely crenulate. Spores dark brown in mass, light brown with a slightly paler area by TL, subglose, 10–14 µm diam., apparently smooth. By SEM the peridium is double the inner surface of the peridium is ornamented with dense tiny warts (granular) that continue to the platelet margins, the margin is crenulated; the epispore is verrucate with irregularly sparsely spaced warts and some areas with no warts.

Material examined: Holotypus. NETHERLANDS. Wageningen, Belmonte Botanic Gardens, on bark from an Acer sp. stump in moist chamber culture, 2-4-1965. NENB-5879 (BR-MYC 5020057898868)! .

Habitat: on bark, trunks and stumps of angiosperms and gymnosperms.

Distribution: Norway, Sweden, Russian Federation, Ukraine, Ireland, Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece, Malta, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, India, USA, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile.

Icon.: Nannenga-Bremekamp (1966: 337, Figs. 1 A – C ; 1975: 64; 1991: 43), Neubert et al. (1993: 282, Pl. V: 1), Novozhilov et al. (1999: 84, Figs. 3 A – D ), Yamamoto (2002b: 4, Figs. 2 A – C ; 2006: 13, Figs. 4 A – C ; 2021: 139, Figs. A – C), Novozhilov & Schnittler (2008: 108, Figs. 26–27), Schnittler et al. (2013: 101, Figs. 31–34 (as L. cf. belmontiana ), Bortnikov et al. (2022: 25, Figs. 3a–k ).

Notes. This species was described as having smooth spores on the basis of light microscope examination available to its author at that time. However, our examination of the holotype by SEM has shown that the spores are not entirely smooth, since the epispore has some widely-spaced warts of different size ( Fig. 4 I ).

In the original description the species is characterized as having a single peridium with included granular matter, but our SEM micrographs show ( Fig. 4 H arrow), that the granular matter forms a complete layer, so the peridium is double. This fact was pointed out also by Novozhilov et al. (1999) for collections they ascribed to this species. The spore size in the original description was given as about 13 µm in diameter, but the author herself specified the wider range in her later expanded monographs ( Nannenga-Bremekamp 1975, 1991, 2022). According to GBIF, there is a collection marked as isotypus in UPS BOT F 646101.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Licea alpina. A–F (AH 28531, Holotype).A. Herbarium boxes and slides. B–D. Stalked and subsessile sporocarps. E. Spores and peridial platelets by TL. F. Spores by TL. Scale bars: B–D = 0.1 mm, E–F = 10 µm.

FIGURE 2. Licea ampulliformis. A–H, K–M (dwb 1988, MA-Fungi 98835, Holotype), I–J (dwb 2535).A. Herbarium box. B–D. Sessile sporocarps. E. Spores and peridial platelets by TL showing clear margins to the platelets (arrows). F–H. Spores by TL. I. detail of platelet margin showing clear area by SEM (arrow). J. Inner surface of a platelet showing warted surface. K–L Detail of open sporocarp showing platelets and spore by SEM. M. Spores by SEM. Scale bars: B–D = 0.1 mm, E = 20 µm, F–H, L = 10 µm, I–J, M = 5 µm, K = 50 µm.

FIGURE 3. Licea aurea. A–G. (dwb 3815, MA-Fungi 91750, Holotype), H–J. (dwb 3533). A. Herbarium box. B–D. Sporocarps. E. Whole sporocarp and spores by TL. F. Fragment of the inner surface of the peridium and spores. G. Spores by TL with thick walls and thinner germination area. H. Whole open sporocarp showing spores by SEM. I. Group of spores by SEM. J. Spore by SEM. Scale bars: B–D = 0.1 mm, E–G, I = 10 µm, H = 50 µm, J = 5 µm.

FIGURE 4. Licea belmontiana. A–J (NENB-5879, BR-MYC 5020057898868, Holotype). A. Herbarium box. B–C. Sessile sporocarps. D. Peridial platelets by TL. E. Spores by TL. F. Dehisced sporocarp by SEM. G–H. Peridial platelets by SEM showing margins without outgrowths (arrows). I–J. Warted spores by SEM. Scale bars: B–C = 0.1 mm, D–G = 10 µm, H–J = 5 µm.