Diderma verrucocapillitia H. N. Zhao, B. Zhang & Y. Li, 2022

Zhao, Hui-Nan, Rao, Gu, Yang, Xin-Ya, Li, Xiao, Yu, Hai-Long, Zhang, Bo & Li, Yu, 2022, Two new species of Diderma (Physarales, Didymiaceae) from northern China, Phytotaxa 572 (1), pp. 61-73 : 66-69

Diderma verrucocapillitia H. N. Zhao, B. Zhang & Y. Li , sp. nov. FIGURE 3 .

MycoBank No.: 842351

GenBank Acc. no.: OM258684 , OM258685 , OM258686 (SSU rRNA gene).

Holotype: CHINA. Jilin Province: Yanji Prefecture, Antu County, Changbai Mountain Large Sample Site , 43°15.62′N, 127°59.24′E, on decaying leaves, 17 October 2017, collected by Bo Zhang (Holotype, HMJAU 60258 !).

Etymology. The epithet “verrucocapillitia” refers to the capillitium with verrucose.

Description. Sporocarps or ring-shaped plasmodiocarps depressed, cushioned, 0.5mm in diameter, mostly forming branched, often forming ring-shaped, (1.0)4.7×0.6(3.2) mm, sometimes forming a net, up to 60× 90 mm, white or cream, reddish-brown or blackish-brown when covered by leaves or others; Hypothallus white, not developed; Peridium double, outer layer limy, thick, fragile, smooth, inner layer membranous, greyish white, dark yellow-brown at the base, sometimes with a metallic appearance; Columella thinned dark yellow-brown at the base; Capillitium threads brown, reddish, 2.5–3.5 μm in diameter, branched, with membranous extensions, bearing long dark spines; Spores red-purple in mass, red-brown in transmitted light, (8.4)9.2–13.3(14.9) μm in diameter, with verrucose. La=2.62±1.45, Wa=1.69±0.86 ( TABLE 2 ), avR=9.53–12.34 ( TABLE 3 ).

Habitat and distribution. On decaying leaves in autumn.

Additional specimens examined. China. Jilin Province: Yanji Prefecture, Antu County, Changbai Mountain Large Sample Site , 43°15.62′N, 127°59.24′E, on decaying leaves, 17 October 2017, collected by Bo Zhang ( HMJAU 60259 ) ; Jilin Province: Yanji Prefecture, Antu County, Changbai Mountain Large Sample Site , 43°15.75′N, 127°59.32′E, on decaying leaves, 17 October 2017, collected by Bo Zhang ( HMJAU 60268 , HMJAU 60269 ) .

Notes. Diderma verrucocapillitia is characterized by depressed plasmodiocarps, verrucose capillitium, and redbrown spores. In terms of morphology, D. verrucocapillitia resembles D. deplanatum ( Buyck 1982; Chou 1978) in their cushioned sporocyst, either plasmodiocarps or forming rings capillitia with bearing spiny or nodular enlargements. However, D. verrucocapillitia can be distinguished from D. deplanatum by its dark yellow-brown and thinned columella, brown capillitium with membranous extensions and dark tubercle, red-brown spores without spiny.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Habitat and microstructure of D. verrucocapillitia (HMJAU 60258 Holotype!) A–C Sporocarps or plasmodiocarps. D–F Capillitia. H–J Spores with verrucose. Scale bars: 5mm (A); 1mm (B); 500 μm (C); 20 μm (D, E, F); 10 μm (G, H, I, J).