Comatricha, Preuss, 1851

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 : 78

Key to species of Comatricha in China

1 Spores marked with reticulations.......................................................................................................................................................2

1 Spores marked with spinulose or warts..............................................................................................................................................3

2 Ends of columella not enlarged .................................................................................................................................. C. reticulospora

2 Ends of columella with a clavate expansion............................................................................................................ C. clavicolumella

3 Capillitium flexuous, looped..............................................................................................................................................................4

3 Capillitium rigid, not looped..............................................................................................................................................................7

4 Sporocysts globose, ovoid..................................................................................................................................................................5

4 Sporocysts cylindric, long ovoid or fusiformis..................................................................................................................................6

5 Stalk 2/3 the total height, peridium fugacious........................................................................................................................ C. nigra

5 Stalk small, peridium persisting at the base of the sporotheca..................................................................................... C. macrospora

6 Spores warted with some groups of darker warts........................................................................................................... C. afroalpina

6 Spores warted .......................................................................................................................................................................... C. ellae

7 Stalk long, more than 3/4 of total height ......................................................................................................................... C. tenerrima

7 Stalk short, no more than 1/2 of total height......................................................................................................................................8

8 Spores 6–9 μm in diam., spinulose................................................................................................................................... C. pulchella

8 Spores 8–11 μm in diam., marked densely warted................................................................................................................... C. laxa