Barcheria willisiana
Barcheria willisiana T. Lebel, in Lebel et al., Mycol. Res. 108(2): 210 (2004)
Etymology: The specific epithet ‘willisiana’ is in honour of the Jim Willis family, strong supporters of natural history study in Victoria.
Basidiomes 15–65 mm wide and 13–55 mm high, globose to subglobose, tapering towards radially furrowed base in some specimens; texture spongy. Peridium dry, the underlying cream to tan brown surface covered with small, appressed, purplish brown scales in all stages of maturity. The scales not rubbing off easily, though becoming less distinct on older specimens. Context thin, ¡1 mm broad, cream coloured becoming pale brown when cut. Gleba loculate, chambers small, >0.5 mm broad, empty. Initially cream to very pale brown, darkening slightly with maturity, rapidly turning orange then fawn when exposed or cut. Stipe and columella absent. Basal mycelium cream, inconspicuous. Latex absent. Odour musty. Taste mild. Macrochemical tests not done. Spore deposit none produced; but spores en masse white.
Peridium with patches of brown-walled hyphae, 3–5 µm diam, often branching, septate, with scattered encrustations on some hyphae, overlying 180–660 µm wide undifferentiated context, of tightly interwoven, hyaline hyphae 2–4 µm diam. Hyphae with irregular, sparse septa. Clamp connections absent in all tissues. Hymenophoral trama of loosely interwoven, hyaline hyphae 3–4 µm diam; subhymenium of slightly inflated hyphae, 5–11 µm diam, otherwise not differentiated from hymenial trama. Basidia 28–39.5 x 5–10.0 µm, hyaline, cylindrical, ventricose or narrowly clavate, bisterigmate; sterigmata 6–15 x 1–1.5 µm. Cystidia 15–28 x 3–7 µm, hyaline, cylindrical to rostrate with obtuse apices, rare, aggregated, protruding well past basidioles. Basidiospores 10.5–16.5 x 8.0–12.0 µm, Q=1.18–1.24, subglobose to broadly ellipsoid, smooth, thick-walled, hyaline in KOH and water, strongly dextrinoid in Melzer’s reagent. Germ pore lacking. Perisporum 0.8–1.4 µm thick; endosporum not metachromatic.
Habitat and Distribution: Growing on road verge in red clay loam, with a shallow covering of gravel in moist position in drainage channel at the base of a low rock outcrop. Associated vegetation of mallee woodland dominated by a mixture of several Eucalyptus spp., Allocasuarina spp. and Melaleuca spp. Fruiting July–August.
Index fungorum number: IF488620
Figure 1. Phylogeny of Agaricaceae. One of 55 255 most parsimonious trees of 450 steps (CI=0.458; RI=0.655), showing branchlengths/bootstrap values. Branches in bold appear in the strict consensus tree. Names in italics are sequestrate fungal taxa.
Figure 2. Barcheria willisiana (holotype). Basidiome (a) external surface; (b) cut basidiome showing colour of gleba after exposure. Scale bar=10 mm.
Figure 3. Barcheria willisiana (holotype). (a) Basidiospores; (b) basidia and basidioles. Scale bars: a, c=10 mm; b=4 µm.
Reference:
Lebel T., Thompson D.K., Udovicic F. 2004. Description and affinities of a new sequestrate fungus, Barcheria willisiana gen. et sp. nov. (Agaricales) from Australia. Mycol Res 108(2): 206–213
Recent Genus
DextrinocystidiumAmylofungus
Phallobata
Recent Species
Dextrinocystidium sacratumAmylofungus corrosus
Phallobata alba