Licea testudinacea (Liceales, Myxomycetes) worldwide distribution, a novelty from Mangrove environments

Abstract

The global distribution of Licea testudinacea is updated with a new record from a mangroveenvironment in Brazil. This myxomycete possesses a broad global distribution despite thescarcity of records, which is probably due to its small size and inconspicuous sporocarp color,which make it difficult to observe in the field. The species occurs on all continents, from sea levelup to elevations ≥3000 m, and is known to sporulate in several types of forests, grasslands, taigasand tundras. In the Neotropics, it has been recorded in Mexico, Guatemala and Costa Rica, in forestedand non-forested areas at high elevations and with high rainfall. The present study representsthe first record of the occurrence of L. testudinacea in South America and the first for a mangroveenvironment throughout its range. The record is based on sporulating specimens found on a livingtree of Rhizophora mangle (Rhizophoraceae) in the state of Pernambuco, Northeast Brazil. Thespecimens of L. testudinacea are described and illustrated. Characteristic features of its microhabitat,its global distribution and an identification key for sessile species with peridial dehiscence byplates and free and warted spores are presented.

Myxomycetes of the Atlantic Rainforest: species on the ground litter from Pedra Talhada Biological Reserve (Alagoas, Brazil)

“…Studies on the myxobiota of Atlantic Rainforest and associated ecosystems have been carried out in different phytophysiognomies and microhabitats. They have explored Conservation Units, mainly in the Northeastern region of the country, with records for species in Open Ombrophilous Forest and Seasonal Semideciduous Forest (Cavalcanti et al 2006;Bezerra et al 2007Bezerra et al , 2008Tenório et al 2009), Seasonal Semideciduous Forest and montane humid forest in Open Ombrophilous Forest (Silva & Cavalcanti 2012;Costa et al 2014), Dense Ombrophilous Forest (Xavier de Lima & Cavalcanti 2015), sandbanks (Bezerra et al 2011), andmangroves (Agra et al 2015;Cavalcanti et al 2016;Barbosa & Cavalcanti 2020). Among the microhabitats explored, ground litter has been included in a few studies, such as that carried out by Coelho & Cavalcanti (2010) who registered 30 species distributed in ten families from moist chamber cultures and field collections in two lowland dense rainforest Conservation Units.…”