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 Hemitrichia calyculata
SynonymsHemiarcyria calyculata
Hyporrhama calyculata
Hemitrichia stipata
Hemiarcyria stipata
BiostatusPresent in region - Indigenous. Non endemic
Images (click to enlarge)
Caption: Sporangia of Hemitrichia calyculata. Note the narrow stalk that widens suddenly to form a shallow calyculus at the base of the sporotheca. Each sporangium is about 3 mm tall
Owner: S.L. Stephenson |
Article: Stephenson, S.L. (2003). Myxomycetes of New Zealand. Fungi of New Zealand. Ngā Harore o Aotearoa 3: xiv + 238 p. Hong Kong: Fungal Diversity Press.
Description: Fruiting body a stalked sporangium, scattered to gregarious, 1–3 mm tall. Sporotheca turbinate to subglobose, erect, bright to dark yellow, 0.8–1.2 mm in diameter (when expanded). Stalk slender, reddish brown to black, 0.5–2.0 mm long. Hypothallus irregular or discoid, light to dark reddish brown. Peridium membranous, yellow, persisting in the lower half as a distinct calyculus that often has a petaloid margin. Capillitium consisting of a dense network of smooth yellow threads, marked with four or five spiral bands, 5–7 µm in diameter. Spores dull yellow in mass, pale yellow by transmitted light, minutely spiny to delicately reticulate, 7–8 µm in diameter. Plasmodium yellow, becoming red during fruiting.
Habitat: Decaying wood and (less commonly) bark, especially that from broadleaf trees.
Distribution: Probably cosmopolitan (Martin & Alexopoulos 1969) but particularly common in tropical forests (e.g., Stephenson et al. 2001). Not recorded in print as occurring in New Zealand but represented by specimens collected in Northland, Auckland, and Stewart Island.
Notes: Early published records of Hemitrichia clavata in New Zealand probably refer to this species. Hemitrichia calyculata and H. clavata are very close morphologically and were not accorded status as separate species until relatively recently (Farr 1974). The major distinguishing feature is the stalk. In H. clavata, it is rather thick and widens gradually to form the deep trumpet-shaped base of the sporotheca. In contrast, H. calyculata has a narrow stalk that widens suddenly to form a shallow cup at the base of the sporotheca. However, intermediate forms are occasionally encountered, so this distinction is not always absolute. In general, fruitings of H. calyculata consist of sporangia that are more loosely grouped than is the case for H. clavata, in which the sporangia tend to be crowded together. Most authors have described the latter species as having a somewhat rougher capillitium, although the value of this characteristic has been questioned (Farr 1976).
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