Hemitrichia leiotricha (Lister) G. Lister (1911: 224)

Moreno, G., Castillo, A. & Thüs, H., 2022, Critical revision of Trichiales (Myxomycetes) at the Natural History Museum London (BM), Phytotaxa 567 (1), pp. 1-20 : 16

Hemitrichia leiotricha (Lister) G. Lister (1911: 224) .

Lectotype:— UNITED KINGDOM. England: Devon, Uplyme, Charton Plantation , 50.7337ºN 2.9503ºW, larch plantation, 27 Nov 1891, A. Lister, B.M. 2978, [ BM001247147 = box] ( BM!).

Additional material studied:— UNITED KINGDOM. England: Dorset, Westover Hill, Charmouth , on heathland, 29 Mars 1907, K. Furse, B.M. 2979, ( BM) .

This follicolous species is mainly characterized by its capillitium with branched filaments ornamented with faint and smooth spirals and blunt free ends with a short appex. The sample B.M. 2978 has been proposed as lectotypus ( Lado & Wrigley de Basanta, 2018), however, the authors did not have access to the sample B.M. 2979, which we have also studied here.

This species was proposed as a variety of Hemitrichia intorta (Lister) Lister by Lister (1894). This status was also suggested by Martin & Alexopoulos (1969). Our observations agree with the results of an SEM study of the lectotype material carried out by Rammeloo (1984), which leaves no doubt to separate this species from H. intorta , since H. leiotricha presents smooth and not spiny capillitium, and the spore ornamentation is different, as well as the inner surface of the peridium.