Licea sp.

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 : 44-45

* Licea sp. Fig. 20

Description:—Sporocarps scattered, conic, very small, with a rounded base, 45–110 µm in diameter (average around 70 µm), dark brown (59) to brownish black (65). Peridium at the sporocarp tops covered with the refuse matter deposits and sometimes has a small ostiole; by transmitted light grayish yellow (90) to strong brown (55). Under SEM, the entire inner peridium surface irregularly decorated with warts, which are unsimilar in size and shape, margins without outgrowths and papillae. Dehiscence usually circumscissile at the sporocarp with a preformed dehiscent circumferential line, leaving an open cup of the sporocarp base and a conic peridial cap, which rarely additionally cracks along 1–2 preformed lines. Spores in mass brownish black (65), by transmitted light olive gray (113) to brownish black (65), globose, free or in easily dissociated clusters, paler on one side (with thin-walled area), 10.5–11.5 (–14) µm in diameter, almost smooth or slightly rough by transmitted light, irregular minutely warted under SEM. Plasmodium not observed.

Material examined:—LOC 16 (MYX 10270, LE 327755), LOC 25 (field specimen MYX 11329, MYX 10295, MYX 10300, LE 327754).

Habitat:—rotten wood (deciduous and coniferous), pH: 4.92–5.12 (n = 5).

Notes:—The main features of Licea sp. are extremely small conical sporocarps, often with an elongated top in a shape resembling Russian medieval spherical conical military helmets; peridium covered with rather thick layer of granular refuse matter (as seen under LM), predominantly ring-shaped dehiscence, and finely warted inner peridium without larger papillae along the margins of the dehiscence line.

Licea sp. differs from L. pseudoconica T.E. Brooks & H.W. Keller by the sporocarps having an actually conical shape and not only appearing conical due to the accumulation of refuse matter on top of the spherical sporocarp.

The morphologically closest species to Licea sp. is L. rufocuprea Nann. -Bremek. & Y. Yamam. The former one has spherical or somewhat conical sporocarps no larger than 0.1 mm in diameter, and spores ornamented with small warts. However, it differs by the color of peridium (dark hazel or reddish-copper brown vs. dark brown to brownish black in Licea sp. ), the smooth inner peridium surface (but finely warted under SEM according to Wrigley de Basanta et al. 2013), and the minutely tuberculate margins on the each side of the dehiscence line between the basal ring and the upper peridium ( Nannenga-Bremekamp & Yamamoto 1987, Fig. 10 C ; Wrigley de Basanta et al. 2013, Fig. 34; de Lima & Cavalcanti 2017, Fig. 4 E ).

Nevertheless, because of the close similarity of characters, further research is needed to clarify the taxonomic status of our specimens.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Licea biforis (MYX10115: a, b; specimen recorded only by photo: c). a–b: Sporocarps. c: Spores by TL. Scale bars: a, b = 100 µm, c = 20 µm.

FIGURE 10. Licea parasitica (MYX8199: a, b, g; MYX10079: d; MYX10224: e, f; MYX10229: c). a–c: Sporocarps. d: Spores and a fragment of peridium by TL. e: Inner peridium under SEM. f: Inner peridium and spores under SEM. g: Spores under SEM. Scale bars: a–c = 50 µm, d = 20 µm, e–g = 5 µm.

FIGURE 20. Licea sp. (MYX10295: a–b, e, MYX10270: c–d) by reflected and transmitted light. a–b: Sporocarps. c–d: Upper portions of sporocarps with spores in TL. e: Sporocarps under SEM. Scale bars: a–b = 50 µm, c–e = 20 µm.