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 Licea operculata
SynonymsOrcadella operculata
BiostatusPresent in region - Indigenous. Non endemic
Images (click to enlarge)
Caption: Sporangia of Licea operculata. Each sporangium is approximately 1.0 mm tall, and the one on the left shows the distinct operculum that is characteristic of this species.
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, erect, 0.4–1.2 mm total height. Sporotheca urn-shaped or subglobose, dull brown to almost black below but lighter above, 0.1–0.3 mm in diameter. Stalk subcylindrical, dark, somewhat grooved, rough from granular inclusions, usually two-thirds or more of the total height. Peridium cartilaginous, smooth, somewhat gelatinous when wet, opaque except for the top, dehiscence by a thin, flat, yellow and often iridescent operculum. Spores pale yellow in mass, colourless by transmitted light, nearly smooth, 8–11 µm in diameter. Plasmodium dull orange to orange brown.
Habitat: Bark of living trees; also occasionally appearing on samples of litter placed in moist chamber cultures.
Distribution: Apparently cosmopolitan (Martin & Alexopoulos 1969). First reported from New Zealand by Mitchell (1992), based on specimens appearing on bark samples placed in moist chamber cultures. The bark samples were collected in Auckland and North Canterbury.
Notes: Because of the relatively long stalk, fruiting bodies of Licea operculata tend to be much more conspicuous and thus less likely to be overlooked than those of most other species of Licea.
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