3. Licea aurea D. Wrigley, Lado & Estrada, in Wrigley de Basanta, Estrada & Lado, Phytotaxa 391(3): 221 (2019) Figs. 3A–J

Sporophores sporocarpic, dispersed or grouped, sessile. Sporocarps subglose, 0.05–0.15 mm diam., golden yellowish brown. Peridium single, membranous, translucent with a rough inner surface; dehiscence by fracture along preformed lines leaving 4–6 polygonal platelets with well-defined margins, no clear areas, pegs or larger ornamentation at the edges. Spores free, yellow in mass, pale yellow by TL, subglobose, (13.5–)14–15(–16) μm diam., smooth, spore wall thick with a large thinner area on one side. By SEM the inner peridial surface is roughened by an irregular reticulum of warts, the platelet margins are a continuum with no other ornamentation; the epispore is smooth with a wrinkled surface on the thinner area. Protoplasmodium colourless.

Material examined: Holotypus. PERU. Arequipa, Caylloma, Chivay, Caylloma-Chivay community, route AR-109 to Chivay, km 65, 15º42´01”S 71º35´24”W, 4470 m, on dead leaf bases of Azorella compacta in moist chamber culture (pH 7.4) , 20-X-2016, dwb 3815 (MA-Fungi 91750)! . 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, on dead leaf bases of Azorella compacta in moist chamber culture (pH 7.4) , 9-XI-2012, dwb 3533. Caylloma, Chivay, Caylloma-Chivay community, route AR-109 to Chivay, km 57, 15º44´00”S 71º35´45”W, 4823 m, on dead leaf bases of Azorella compacta in moist chamber culture (pH 6.6) , 19-X-2016, dwb 3814 .

Habitat: on dead leaves of Azorella spp.

Distribution: Known only from the Peruvian Andes.

Icon.: Wrigley de Basanta et al. (2019: 219, Figs. 1–11).

Notes. This species was found from leaf bases inside the compact cushion of the host plant Azorella compacta in the Peruvian Andes at almost 5000 m elevation. The unique combination of characters of this species includes its tiny, sessile, golden yellow sporocarps (Figs. 3 B – E), the dehiscence of the peridium into a few polygonal platelets with no border ornamentation (Figs. 3 E – H), and the large, yellow, smooth spores, with a conspicuous germination pore (Figs. 3 F – G, I – J). This species differs from L. ampulliformis by its golden sporocarps with no ornamentation and no clear areas on the margins to the platelets vs. the wrinkled, yellowish brown sporocarps with clear margins to the platelets in L. ampulliformis . In addition, this species has smooth spores vs. warted spores in L. ampulliformis . Licea aurea differs from L. belmontiana Nann. -Bremek. by its larger spores, 14–15 µm diam. vs. 10–13(–14) µm diam. in the latter. In addition, L. belmontiana has a double peridium, not a single like in L. aurea and dark brown angular sporocarps.