Physarum variabile var. sessile Lister, J. Bot.

Lado, Carlos & Basanta, Diana Wrigley De, 2018, Typification of the myxomycete taxa described by the Listers and preserved at the Natural History Museum, London (BM), Phytotaxa 341 (1), pp. 448-450 : 448-450

Physarum variabile var. sessile Lister, J. Bot. 36: 114. 1898

= Physarum auriscalpium Cooke, Ann. Lyceum Nat. Hist. New York 11: 384 (1877)

— Lectotypus (designated here): ANTIGUA. Leeward Islands , Antigua, 17º05’N 61º48’W, on green and brown leaf, Dec 1896, W. Cran 16 ( BM 1644 !, BM001089843 + two slides, BM001089199 , BM001089200 ) .

[BM] 1644 / Physarum variabile Rex / var.sessile List. / Antigua leg. W. Cran Dec.1896 / Lister coll./ Mycetozoa./ Recd. 1898/ BM001089843 + two slides Cran 16/ Physarum / variabile Rex / β. sessile/ on green leaf [the other slide “on brown leaf”]/ Antigua #40/ N.XIIIp47/ BM001089199, BM001089200.

NOTES: Lister (1898a: 113–114) noted in the description of Physarum variabile Rex “On dead leaves, Antigua ” and briefly describes the material. Following the description he stresses the differences of the specimen from the species with the comment “I place the specimen under the above name and give a figure (Pl. 385, fig. 2a,b,c) because they differ from Rex’s type in the sessile and paler sporangia; they have also rather smoother spores. Whether these differences amount to a specific distinction appears doubtful, even if further material should show their constancy. Mr. Cran’s gatherings at six months’ intervals present precisely the same characters, and it may be well to mark the form as a var. β sessile.”

In BM original material was located as a box (BM 1644), which we designated as lectotype, and 2 slides (Cran 16) and comments in notebook XIII: 47–47 A. On the identity of this name see Farr, Fl. Neotrop. 16: 174 (1976), who viewed it as a synonym of Ph. auriscalpium Cooke.

Physarum vernum var. iridescens G. Lister , in Lister, Guide Brit. Mycetozoa, ed. 4, 25. 1919 = Physarum vernum Sommerf. , in Fries, Syst. mycol. 3: 146. 1829 — Lectotypus (designated here): UNITED KINGDOM. England , Essex, Epping Forest , 51º66’N 0.05ºE, 13 Sep 1935 ( BM 1528 !,

BM001089842 ). Syntypus:UNITEDKINGDOM. England, Essex, EppingForest ,51º66’N 0.05ºE, Oct1896 ( BM1525 !, BM001095180 ) .

Syntypus: UNITED KINGDOM. England, Essex, Epping Forest , 51º66’N 0.05ºE, Sep 1895 ( BM 1525 !, BM001095181 ) . Syntypus: UNITED KINGDOM. England, Essex, Epping Forest , 51º66’N 0.05ºE, Oct 1897 ( BM 1525 !, BM001095183 ) . Syntypus: UNITED KINGDOM. England, Essex, Epping Forest , 51º66’N 0.05ºE, 27 Sep 1895 ( BM 1553 !, BM001095184 ) . Syntypus: UNITED KINGDOM. England, Essex, Epping Forest , 51º66’N 0.05ºE, 23 Oct 1896 ( BM 1553 !, BM001095185 ) . Syntypus: UNITED KINGDOM. England, Essex, Epping Forest , 51º66’N 0.05ºE, 28 Sep 1895 ( BM 1554 !, BM001095186 ) . Syntypus: UNITED KINGDOM.England, Essex, Epping Forest , 51º66’N 0.05ºE, Sep 1893 ( BM 1554 !, BM001095187 ) . Syntypus: UNITED KINGDOM. England, Devon, Lynton , 51.2303ºN 3.8363ºW, Sep 1893 ( BM 1554 !, BM001095188 ) . Syntypus: UNITED KINGDOM. England, Bedfordshire , Bedford, 52.1337ºN 0.4577ºW ( BM 1554 !, BM001095190 ) . Syntypus: UNITED KINGDOM. England, Essex, Alresford , 51.8492ºN 1.0022ºE, Oct 1902 ( BM 1554 !, BM001247156 ) . Syntypus: UNITED KINGDOM. England, Hertfordshire, Ayot , 51.8343ºN 0.2670ºW, Nov 1913, K.M. ( BM 1554 !, BM001095189 ) . Syntypus: UNITED KINGDOM. England, Essex, Epping Forest , 51º66’N 0.05ºE, 28 Sep 1895 ( BM 1557 !, BM001095192 ) . Syntypus: UNITED KINGDOM. England, Hertfordshire, Ayot , 51.8343ºN 0.2670ºW, K.M. ( BM 1557 !, BM001095191 ) . Syntypus: UNITED KINGDOM. England, Essex, Epping Forest , 51º66’N 0.05ºE, 13 Sep 1895, A. Lister ( BM1702 , BM001095209 ) . Syntypus: UNITED KINGDOM. England, Surrey, Witley , 51.150ºN 0.646ºW, Dec 1897 ( BM 2303 !, BM001095193 ) . Syntypus: UNITED KINGDOM. England, Dorset, Lyme Regis, Ivy Hollow , 50.725ºN 2.940ºW, 17 Mar 1898 ( BM 2303 !, BM001095194 ) . Syntypus: UNITED KINGDOM. England, Dorset, Lyme Regis, Ivy Hollow , 50.725ºN 2.940ºW, 22 Dec 1898 ( BM 2303 !, BM001095195 ) .

[BM] 1528 / Physarum / vernum Somm. / var. iridescens G. Lister / Notes X.p.107/ Epping Forest Sep.13.95/ BM001089842. [BM] 1525 [four samples in the same box]/ Physarum vernum Somm. / var. iridescens / Notes XII.p.17, Oct.96./ Epping Forest/ BM001095180. [BM] 1525 / Physarum vernum Somm. / var. iridescens / Notes X.p.107, Sep.95./ Epping Forest/ BM001095181. [BM] 1525 / Physarum vernum Somm. / var. iridescens / Oct.97/ Epping Forest/ BM001095183. [BM] 1553 [two samples in the same box]/ Physarum vernum Somm. / var. iridescens / Epping Forest, 27.9.95/ BM001095184. [BM] 1553 / Physarum vernum Somm. / var. iridescens / Epping Forest, 23.10.96. NXIIp.43,46/ BM001095185. [BM] 1554 [five collections in the same box]/ Physarum vernum Somm. / var. iridescens / Epping Forest, 28.9.95/ BM001095186. [BM] 1554 / Physarum vernum Somm. / var. iridescens / Lynton, 9.93/ Notes VIII.p.40/ BM001095187. [BM] 1554 / Physarum vernum Somm. / var. iridescens / Bedford ES N.XVIIp.77 (BM001095190). [BM] 1554 / Physarum vernum Somm. / var. iridescens / Alresford 10.02 NXII.88/ BM001247156. [BM] 1554 / Physarum vernum Somm. / var. iridescens / Ayot, 11.13 K M XXXIV.97/ BM001095189. [BM] 1557 [two samples in the same box]/ Physarum vernum Somm. / v. iridescens G. Lister / Epping Forest, 28.9.95/ BM001095192. [BM] 1557 / Physarum vernum Somm. / v. iridescens G. Lister / Ayot. K.M. NXXXII.66/ BM001095191. [BM]1702 / Physarum vernum Somf. / var. iridescens Lister / sporangium-wall without lime/ Epping Forest leg. Lister 13.9.95/ BM001095209. [BM] 2303 [three specimens in the same box]/ Physarum vernum Somm. / v. iridescens G. Lister / Witley, 12.97/ BM001095193. [BM] 2303 / Physarum vernum Somm. / v. iridescens G. Lister / Ivy Hollow, 17.3.98, BM001095194. [BM] 2303 / Physarum vernum Somm. / v. iridescens G. Lister / Ivy Hollow, 22.12.98, NXVIIp.88/ BM001095195.

NOTES: The only comment Lister (1919: 25) made on the British material, apart from the description, is “On old straw and dead leaves; common throughout the year.”. Seven boxes were located in BM (BM 1525, BM 1528, BM 1553,

BM 1554, BM 1557, BM 1702, BM 2303), several of them with more than one specimen in them with different dates and localities. All of them are labelled var. iridescens and have dates prior to the publication of the species. We assume therefore that this was the material studied by G.Lister in proposing the variety. We designate BM 1528 as the lectotype since it is the one that most resembles the illustrations in notebooks VIII: 40 and X: 106–108. No slides were located.

This variety is currently included in the variability of the species.