Licea craterioides Yamamoto (1991: 12)

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 : 28

* Licea craterioides Yamamoto (1991: 12) . Fig. 6 .

Description:—Sporocarps scattered or in small groups, sessile, short cylindrical to subglobose, 200–290 µm in height, 140–280 µm in diameter, narrowed downward, grayish olive (110) to almost black (267). Peridium covered with refuse matter, the inner surface bears small warts, that are often connected by thin ridges forming an incomplete net of irregular branched lines. Dehiscence circumscissile by preformed lid on the apex. Lid often darker than the rest of peridium. Spores from dark brown to almost black in mass, grayish greenish yellow (105) to dark grayish olive (111) by transmitted light, with paler area, (12.5–) 13.5–14.8 (–15.2) µm in diameter, smooth.

Material examined:— LOC 32 (MYX 10060) .

Habitat:—bark of living trees ( Syringa amurensis ), pH: 5.23 (n = 1).

Distribution:— Japan (Yamamoto 1991), Far East of Russia.

Notes:—This rare species was described from Japan (Yamamoto 1991) and this is the first record made outside of that country. The key features of L. craterioides are small dark sessile sporocarps, usually short and cylindrical with a preformed operculum, which reminds of the members of the genus Craterium , finely warted surface of the inner peridium, and smooth spores. Our specimen consists of a few sporocarps and has slightly larger spores than it was indicated in the original description (12.5–15.2 μm vs. 11–12.7) but does not differ by any other features. L. craterioides can be distinguished from L. parasitica on the basis of the sporocarp shape (short cylindrical vs. pulvinate). The inner peridium ornamentation of the both species is similar by transmitted light, but is different by scanning electron micrograph. L. parasitica has individual scattered warts ( Fig. 10 E ), whereas L. craterioides has warts connected by thin ridges or fused ( Fig. 6 D ).

Figures

FIGURE 6. Licea craterioides (MYX10060). a, b: Sporocarps. c: Spores by TL. d: Peridium under SEM. e: Peridium and spores under SEM. Scale bars: a, b = 100 µm, c = 20 µm, d, e = 10 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.