Morphology and life cycle of a new species of Didymium (Myxomycetes) from arid areas of Mexico

Abstract

A new species of myxomycete, Didymium umbilicatum, isolated from the bark of Agavaceae, is described from arid zones of Mexico. This species was obtained from moist chamber cultures of Yucca spp. bark, collected in four different years from two states (Puebla and Querétaro) in central Mexico and found in the field from Hidalgo, Oaxaca and Puebla on the dead remains of Agave sp. The new species has small, flat, white sporocarps or short plasmodiocarps, 0.2–1.3 mm diam, and 0.15–0.4 mm tall. They are sessile on a reduced base or have a short, calcareous pale stalk and warted spores, warts fused in an irregular subreticulum by SEM. It is the sixth species of Didymium recently described from arid areas. The stability of the taxonomic characters of the species was confirmed by spore-to-spore culture on agar. Life cycle events are described from germination to sporulation. The morphology of the myxomycete specimens was examined with scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy, and micrographs of relevant details are included.

• agar culture
• Agave
• moist chamber culture
• morphogenesis
• Nolina
• taxonomy
• Yucca

This work was supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of Spain (projects REN 2002-00445/GLO and CGL2005-00320/BOS). We are very grateful for the Latin diagnosis by Dr M. Laínz S.J. and for the valuable comments on culture techniques by Dr Edward Haskins (University of Washington, USA).