Stemonitopsis microspora (Lister) Nann.

Moreno, G., Castillo, A. & Thüs, H., 2018, Critical revision of type material of Stemonitales (Myxogastria) at the Natural History Museum London (BM), Phytotaxa 344 (2), pp. 149-159 : 157

Stemonitopsis microspora (Lister) Nann. -Bremek., Nederlandse Myxomyceten (Zutphen) 208 (1975) [“1974”]

≡ Comatricha typhoides var. microspora Lister Monogr. mycetozoa, ed. 1: 121 (1894).

≡ Comatricha microspora (Lister) G. Lister , in Lister, Guide Brit. Mycetozoa, ed. 4: 39 (1919)

≡ Stemonitis hyperopta var. microspora (Lister) G. Lister , in Lister, Monogr. mycetozoa, ed. 3: 134 (1925)

≡ Stemonitis microsperma Ing, Trans. Brit. Mycol. Soc. 48(4): 648 (1965)

≡ Comatricha microsperma (Ing) Nann. -Bremek. ex G.W. Martin & Alexop., Myxomycetes : 196 (1969)

Material studied (Syntype): Charton, Lyme Regis, Dorset, England, larch plantation, 30–XI–1891, leg. Miss L.M. Fowler, BM 1395 [ BM 001247208 = box, BM 001247186 = slide, BM 001247194 = SEM stub].

Lister (1894) accepted three varieties of Comatricha typhoides (Bull.) Rostaf. , var. genuina was described with spores 6–7 μm diam. (later expanded to a maximum of 8 μm diam. by Moreno & al., 2004), and with almost smooth surface or minutely warted between the larger warts. Currently the name Comatricha typhoides var. genuina is considered a nom. inval. ( Lado 2005 –2017). Original material used for the description of var. genuina differs from other taxa, including Stemonitopsis microspora , by its larger warty spores with groups of thick warts ( Moreno & al. 2004).

The var. heterospora has spores with 5–6 μm diam. and the surface marked with faint, broken reticulation between the warts.

The var. microspora (now Stemonitopsis microspora ) was characterised by spores 3.5–4.5 μm diam. Stemonitopsis microspora differs from the otherwise similar Stemonitis hyperopta by its smaller spore size (on average 4 μm diam.), but the spore ornamentation is similar, formed by a network with bands without holes and meshes with variable diameter.