Marthanella nidulosa
Marthanella nidulosa States & Fogel 1999, in Satest & Fogel, MYCOTAXON-ITHACA NY, 71, 423-430 (1999).
Etymology: pertaining to the peridioles nested in the glebal matrix
Diagnosis: Basidiomata hypogeous, unevenly globose to subglobose, 5-20 x 5-25 mm in diam, white to light buff, mottled with brown in age, surface cottony with adhering soil debris, later polished in exposed areas, produced singly or gregariously in a mycelial mat with rhizomorph-like strands attached at various points on the peridium.
Peridium triplex, the outer layer flocculent and somewhat deciduous, of various thickness, 200–800 μm, composed of loosely interwoven thin walled hyphae that overlie a tough membranous medial layer,100–130µm thick; the medial layer splitting open at maturity and persisting after release of glebal contents, composed of compactly interwoven, thick-walled, pigmented hyphae, these hyphae strongly dextrinoid and encrusted with ochraceous pigment debris; the innermost layer composed of subgelatinous pseudoparenchyma with hyaline, inflated terminal cells 10–15 µm diameter scattered throughout.
Gleba when young, firm, gelatinous and somewhat spongy, homogeneous, lacking distinct columella or capillitia, white becoming light gray sometimes with gray olivaceous tints, the cut sections exuding a small amount of clear viscous fluid which quickly dries to reveal small round empty locules surrounded by trama 15–35µm thick. Gleba when mature is moist (subgelatinous) and somewhat granular (subpulverulent), remaining intact until desiccated or compressed, composed of many subglobose peridioles; Peridioles 200–300 µm in diameter, lined with basidia and stuffed to various degrees with spores, bounded by a fragile wall of parallel hyphae 5–12 µm thick which later disintegrates to release mature spores to the interior of the gleba. Clamp connections scattered and evident in the hymenium and medial peridium. Basidia 8-spored, hyaline, ventricose, 24–35 × 5.5–8.0 µm, with sterigmata highly visible below spores.
Spores smooth walled, subglobose to mostly elliptical, (4.5–) 5–7 × 2.8–3.8 µm (ave. 5.9 ± 0.58 × 3.6 ± 0.43, l/w 1.66), hyaline, weakly dextrinoid in Meltzers reagent and light olivaceous yellow in KOH when viewed in mass, no reaction in cotton blue, some with indistinct oil droplets, walls slightly thickened, most with short pedicels 0.5–1.5µm
Index Fungorum Number: IF450465
Figures 1-3. Marthanella nidulosa. 1. Peridioles, one broken open to reveal spore contents. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x350. 2. Peridium cross section illustrating in descending order the outer, medial and inner peridial layers. The rounded interface of the glebal locules visible at the bottom of the inner layer. x1600. 3. A typical ventricose, 8-spored basidium. x1600.
Reference:
States, J. S., & Fogel, R. (1999). Marthanella nidulosa, sp. et gen. nov., a hypogeous basidiomycete from northern Arizona, USA. MYCOTAXON-ITHACA NY, 71, 423-430.
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