Comatricha tenerrima (M. A. Curtis) G. Lister, 1919

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 : 75-77

Comatricha tenerrima (M.A. Curtis) G. Lister, in Lister, Guide Brit. Mycetozoa, ed. 4, 39 (1919). Figure 3 .

≡ Stemonitis tenerrima M.A. Curtis, Amer. J. Sci. Arts, ser. 2 6:352 (1848)

= Stemonitis tenerrima Berk. & M.A. Curtis, in Berkeley, Grevillea 2:69 (1873)

= Comatricha argentinae J.R. Deschamps, Bol. Soc. Argent. Bot. 15 (4):340 (1974)

= Comatricha tenerrima var. macrospora Rammeloo, Bull. Jard. Bot. Belg. 53(1/2):298 (1983)

Scattered stalked sporocarps which are 1.5–3 mm in total height, with black stalks that represent about 3/4 of the total height. Fusiform sporotheca are pale red or brownish-pink. The slender columella often reaches the top of the sporotheca. The capillitium is pale red-brown,flexuous, branched and anastomosed, tapering outwards with few or no larger branches that are looped at the periphery. Pale lilac-brown spores are minutely roughened with pale verrucous protrusions; the top of the verrucous protrusions have 5–8 regular lobate-like warts, visible in SEM, that are 7–8 μm in diameter.

Specimens examined: CHINA. Liaoning Province, Laotudingzi National Nature Reserve . 12 September 2010, Zhang 2015051405 ( HMJAU-M1058 ) ; Jilin Province, Jiaohe City , 12 July 2015, Zhang 2015122301 ( HMJAU-M1059 ) ; Sichuan Province, Mianning County, Yihai scenic spot, 7 July 2013, Zhang 2015111806 ( HMJAU-M1061 ) ; Guizhou Province, Maolan core area in Libo County, 19 July 2014, Zhang 2015060806 ( HMJAU-M1062 ) ; Guizhou Province, Maolan core area in Libo County, 17 July 2014, Zhang 2015060912 ( HMJAU-M1063 ) ; and Shanxi Province, Zhuoshui County, 21 July 2014, Zhang 2015102904 ( HMJAU-M1064 ) .

Discussion: Comatricha tenerrima is widely distributed throughout the world, but this is the first time it has been reported from China. The specimen (HMJAU-M1059) collected from Jiaohe City, Jilin Province (about 5–6 μm in diam.) has smaller spores (about 5–6 μm in diam.) than the holotype (about 7–8 μm in diameter), while the specimens (HMJAU-M1064) collected from Zhuoshui County, Shanxi Province, have smaller sporocarps than the holotype. Specimens (HMJAU-M1061) were collected from Mianning County, at a Yihai scenic spot located at an elevation of 2980 m.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Comatricha tenerrima (M.A. Curtis) G. Lister (HMJAU: M1058) A. Sporocarp as observed by SEM; B-D. Capillitium and spores as observed by SEM and TL; E-F. Spores marked with warts as viewed by SEM.