Licea synchrysospora Bortnikov, 2022

Bortnikov, Fedor M., Gmoshinskiy, Vladimir I. & Novozhilov, Yuri K., 2022, Species of Licea Schrad. (Myxomycetes) in Kedrovaya Pad State Nature Biosphere Reserve (Far East, Russia), including two new species, Phytotaxa 541 (1), pp. 21-48 : 40-44

* Licea synchrysospora Bortnikov sp. nov. Fig. 18 , 19

Mycobank MB 834434

Holotype:— MYX 11315, RUSSIAN FEDERATION, Primorsky Krai, KPSNBR, N 43°05’48.1’’ E 131°33’30.9’’, floodplain forest, on the bark of living Chosenia arbutifolia , in mcc, pH=7.09, bark sampling 22 August 2017, mcc starting 31 October 2017, sporocarps sampling January 2018, leg. Bortnikov F. M.

Paratypes:— LE 327752 , the same territory, locality and substrate sample, but mcc starting 3 October 2019, sporocarps sampling 07 December 2019, leg. Bortnikov F. M.; LE 327751 , the same territory, N 43°06’37.7’’ E 131°25’18.1’’, coniferous forest, on the bark of living Kalopanax septemlobus , in mcc, pH=7.06, bark sampling 19 August 2017, mcc starting 03 October 2019, sporocarps sampling 20 December 2019, leg. Bortnikov F. M.

Etymology:—from Greek: σύν, together, χρυσός, gold, and σπορά, seed, due to of the golden-yellow clustered spores.

Description:—Sporocarps scattered, pulvinate, almost rounded to slightly oval when viewed from above, 0.18– 0.42 mm in diameter (average 0.29 mm). Peridium black (267), and very often peridium surface with band-shaped deposits of granular material, that are brownish orange (54) to dark orange yellow (72). Peridium by transmitted light strong yellowish brown (74) to strong brown (55) with darker bands of granular matter and black dehiscence lines. Inner peridium smooth and shining by reflected light, but covered with numerous small warts with small smooth areas (probably at the points of contact with spores) under SEM. Peridial plates margins almost smooth, slightly wavy or covered with small thickenings, occasionally with very small conical outgrowths. Dehiscence along preformed lines. Spores in mass brilliant yellow (83) to yellow (84), sometimes fading to yellowish brown (74 to 75) in the herbarium, grayish olive (109) to almost colorless by transmitted light, slightly thinner-walled on one side, globose, adhering in clusters of 5–15 spores, which are rarely loose and easily disintegrate, individual spores (9.8–) 10.2–11.2 (–11.7) µm in diameter (Mean: 10.74, SD: 0.51, n = 60), almost smooth, very minutely warted by numerous small warts visible under SEM, but the smooth contact areas of the adjacent spores. Plasmodium not observed.

Material examined:— LOC 37 ( LE 327751), LOC 39 ( MYX 11315, LE 327752).

Habitat:—bark of living trees ( Chosenia arbutifolia , Kalopanax septemlobus ), pH: 7.06–7.09 (n = 3).

Distribution:—known only from type territory.

Notes:—The main features of Licea synchrysospora are usually clustered spores that are almost smooth under LM, but distinctly finely warted under SEM; in many cases the peridium is covered with deposits of refuse matter which form lines , as well as margins of the peridial plates with rather small thickened parts. It is interesting, that the thickened part of each spore wall faces the cluster center, and the thinner part, that serves as a germination pore, is turned on the outside ( Fig. 19 , A-C). This peculiarity verifies the stability of the spore cluster feature.

L. confundens T.N. Lakh., Nann. -Bremek. & R.K. Chopra, L. ocellata D.W. Mitch. & G. Moreno , and L. synsporos Nann. -Bremek have spores arranged in clusters. However, L. confundens has spores that are black by reflected light and purple-gray by transmitted light ( Lakhanpal et al.,1990). L. ocellata has sessile sporocarps with an operculum and larger spores (11.5–13 μm) with trihedral or tetrahedral warts ( Mitchell & Moreno 2009, Fig. 13 ). L. synsporos is distinguished from L. synchrysospora by almost spherical sporocarp, thin membrane-like peridium with thickened smooth margins, and dark brown spores in mass ( Nannenga-Bremekamp 1968).

L. mariae , L. punctiformis G.W. Martin , and L. tenera E. Jahn also have golden-yellow spores in mass. L. synchrysospora can be distinguished from L. punctiformis and L. tenera on the basis of the dehiscence pattern (preformed lines vs. irregular way, Martin & Alexopoulos 1969). L. mariae differs by free larger spores, the ornamentation of the inner peridial surface (finely fibrous vs. finely warted), and the inner peridial plates margins (large conical spikes vs. small thickenings).

Figures

FIGURE 13. Licea pseudoconica (MYX10210: h, i; MYX11280: a–d, f, g, j–n; MYX11305: e). a–e: Sporocarps. f–i: Sporocarps under SEM. j–k: Disrupted sporocarp by TL (j) and under SEM (k). Arrows indicate the peridium upper part, which is rounded, not conical. l: Inner peridium under SEM. m: Spores by TL. n: Spores under SEM. Scale bars: a–e = 50 µm, f–k, m = 20 µm, l, n = 5 µm.

FIGURE 18. Licea synchrysospora: holotype (MYX11315). a–c: Sporocarps. d: Disrupted sporocarp with yellow spore clusters. e: Sporocarp under SEM. f: Peridium plate by TL. g: Inner peridium under SEM. h: Inner peridium margins under SEM. i: Inner peridium margins by TL. j: Spore cluster by TL. Scale bars: a–f = 100 µm, g–j = 10 µm.

FIGURE 19. Licea synchrysospora: holotype (MYX11315). a-b: Spore cluster by transmitted light. c: Same cluster drawn. Arrows indicate germination areas with thin walls facing on the outside of the cluster center. d–e: Spore cluster under SEM. Smooth spore surface is visible in places where adjacent spores contact (indicated with arrows). Thin germination areas collapsed inside the cluster. Scale bars: a–c = 10 µm, d–e = 5 µm.