Licea aurea D. Wrigley, Lado & Estrada, 2019

Basanta, Diana Wrigley De, Estrada-Torres, Arturo & Lado, Carlos, 2019, Licea aurea a new Myxomycete from the Peruvian Andes, Phytotaxa 391 (3), pp. 218-224 : 221

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 .

Figures

FIGURES 1–11. Licea aurea. 1–5 dwb 3815 (MA-Fungi 91750) 1. Sporocarp. 2, 3. Habit. 4. Sporocarp by transmitted light (TL) open to show peridial platelets and spores 5. Spores with thick walls and thinner germination area. Figures 6–11 Licea aurea by SEM dwb 3533. 6. Whole sporocarp with peridial platelets slightly open. 7. Open whole sporocarp showing spores. 8. Edge of peridial platelet. 9. Smooth spore. 10. Spore showing wrinkled thinner germination area. 11. Peridial inner surface. Scale bars: Figs 1–3 = 0.1 mm; Figs 4, 5, 8–11 = 10 μm; Fig. 6 = 20 μm; Fig. 7 = 50 μm.

FIGURES 12–18. Licea aurea stages in the life cycle on agar by TL. 12. dwb 3534 germinating spores on 0.75% WA with amoeba. 13–18 dwb 3615. 13, 14 Amoebae on germination plate 0.75% WA with added nutrient. 15, 16 Young protoplasmodia on CM/2 agar with a film of bacteria. 17. Sporocarp lifted to slide from agar. 18. Mounted sporocarp in PVA showing peridial platelets and spores. 19, 20. Landscape and habitat of Azorella compacta, the substrate of the new species. Scale bars 12 = 15 μm; 13, 14 = 30 μm; 15–17 = 50 μm; 18 = 20 μm.