Licea aurea D. Wrigley, Lado & Estrada sp. nov. (Figs 1–18)

Mycobank MB 828702

Sporophores sporocarpic, dispersed, sessile, 0.05–0.15 mm diam. Sporotheca subglobose, golden yellowish brown (86. l. Y-87. m. Y), translucent showing spores, sometimes angular where peridial fracture lines are visible (Figs 1–3). Hypothallus absent. Peridium single, membranous, pale golden (89. p. Y-90. gy. Y) by LM, composed of platelets, the inner surface roughened (Fig. 4) with an irregular reticulum of warts visible by SEM (Figs 7, 11); dehiscence by fracture along preformed lines leaving 4–6 platelets per sporotheca (Figs 4, 6, 7); platelets polygonal with well-defined margins (Fig. 8) but no clear areas, pegs or larger ornamentation at the edges. Capillitium absent. Columella absent. Spores free, yellow in mass, pale yellow (86. l. Y-89. p. Y), to concolorous with the peridium by LM, (13.5 –)14–15(–16) μm diam., subglobose, smooth by LM and by SEM (Figs 4, 5, 7–10); spore wall thick with a large thinner area (Figs 4, 5), wrinkled by SEM (Fig. 10). Protoplasmodium (Figs 15, 16) colourless on agar.

Holotype:— PERU, Arequipa: Caylloma, Chivay, Caylloma-Chivay community, route AR-109 to Chivay, km 65, 15º42´01”S 71º35´24”W, 4470 m, 20-X-2016, on dead leaf bases of Azorella compacta in moist chamber culture (pH 7.38), D. Wrigley de Basanta, dwb 3815 (MA-Fungi 91750).

Etymology:— From the Latin (golden) for the shining colour of the sporocarps.

Substrate:— On dead leaf bases of Azorella compacta .

Distribution:— Known only from the Peruvian Andes. Possibly occurring in other areas of South America, following the distribution of species of the plant genus Azorella .

Other specimens examined:— PERU, Arequipa: Chivay, Caylloma-Chivay community, route PE-1SE, km 60, 24 km S of Chivay, 15°42’41”S 71°36’22”W, 4747 m, 9-XI-2012, on dead leaf bases of Azorella compacta in moist chamber culture (pH 7.43), D. Wrigley de Basanta, dwb 3533 ; ibidem, (pH 7.48), dwb 3534; ibidem, 12-XI-2012, (pH 7.53), dwb 3556; ibidem 26-IX-2013, (pH 7.14), dwb 3615; ibidem, (pH 7.05) dwb 3616; ibidem 02-X-2013 (pH 7.29) dwb 3617; ibidem, 14-IX-2013, on agar culture of spores from dwb 3615, isolate 1359, isolate 1366. Arequipa, Caylloma, Chivay, Caylloma-Chivay community, route AR-109 to Chivay, km 57, 15º44´00”S 71º35´45”W, 4823 m, 19-X-2016, on dead leaf bases of A. compacta in moist chamber culture, (pH 6.61), dwb 3814 .