This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by de Basanta, D. W. Articles by Estrada-Torres, A. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by de Basanta, D. W. Articles by Estrada-Torres, A. Agricola Articles by de Basanta, D. W. Articles by Estrada-Torres, A.

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

     Real Jardín Botánico, CSIC, Plaza de Murillo 2, 28014 Madrid, Spain

A. Estrada-Torres ²

     Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, km 10.5 carretera, Texmelucan-Tlaxcala, Ixtacuixtla, 90122, Tlaxcala, México

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.

Key words: agar culture, Agave, moist chamber culture, morphogenesis, Nolina, taxonomy, Yucca

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. W. de Basanta, C. Lado, A. Estrada-Torres, and S.L. Stephenson Description and life cycle of a new Didymium (Myxomycetes) from arid areas of Argentina and Chile Mycologia, September 1, 2009; 101(5): 707 - 716. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]