Comatricha afroalpina Rammeloo, Bull. Jard. Bot. Belg.

Zhang, Bo, Wang, Saiyu, Xu, Xiaoqi, Li, Tianhao, Dai, Dan & Li, Yu, 2018, Identification of the new species Comatricha macrospora and two other recently recorded species of Comatricha from China, Phytotaxa 374 (1), pp. 71-79 : 77-78

Comatricha afroalpina Rammeloo, Bull. Jard. Bot. Belg. 53(1/2):297 (1983). Figure 4 .

Scattered sporocarps are 1–2 mm in total height. The red-brown stalk is 0.5–1 mm tall. The sporothecae are spherical and dark brown. A tapered columella reaches almost to the apex in the smaller sporocarps. An abundant capillitium peripherally s an incomplete irregular network with numerous free ends. Grey-brown spores are regularly verruculose with dispersed groups of larger dark warts, which sometimes form an incomplete reticulum; the spores are 8–10 μm in diameter.

Specimen examined: CHINA. Jiangxi Province, East China Institute of Technology, 17 June 2013, Zhang2016011102 (HMJAU-M1006).

Discussion: The genus Comatricha Preuss has been reported to contain 41 species, but only two species, C. vineatilis and C. alpina , are similar to C. macrospora . Like C. macrospora , C. aplina has a persistent peridium at the base of the sporotheca; meanwhile C. vineatilis is similar to C. afroalpina in having regularly verruculose spores dispersed in larger groups. Comatricha vineatilis (spore size: 6–7 μm in diameter) has smaller spores than C. afroalpina (spore size: 8–10 μm in diameter), whereas C. alpina (spore size: 11–12 μm in diameter) is a nivicolous species and has larger spores than C. afroalpina .

Figures

FIGURE 4. Comatricha afroalpina Rammeloo (HMJAU: M1006) A. Sporocarps occurring on a log; B. Two sporocarps as observed by SEM; C. Incomplete surface net and spores as observed by SEM; D.A portion of the spores and capillitium as viewded by TL; E-F. Spores marked with warts by as viewed by SEM. (Bar:A=1 mm)