Short Communication Contribution to the Macromycetes of West Bengal, India: 23–27

For Focus, Scope, Aims, Policies and Guidelines visit http://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/editorialPolicies#custom-0 For Article Submission Guidelines visit http://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/submissions#onlineSubmissions For Policies against Scientific Misconduct visit http://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/editorialPolicies#custom-2 For reprints contact <info@threatenedtaxa.org> Short Communication Contribution to the Macromycetes of West Bengal, India: 23–27


Materials and methods
The specimens were collected during field trips in monsoon seasons (2010-2017) from corners of West Bengal, India. Macro-morphological and ecological features of each collection were noted in the field and subsequently photographed. The colour codes and terms used were in accordance with Kornerup & Wanscher (1978). Microscopic features were obtained from freehand sections of dried specimens by mounting with 10% KOH, Congo red and Melzerʹs reagent with the help of Carl Zeiss AX10 Imager A1 phase contrast microscope. Measurements of 30 basidiospores of each of the specimens were examined. Q value denotes length/breadth ratios of basidiospores and the mean value is underlined. Identification was done with the help of standard literature (Speairs 1957;McNabb 1965;Ellis & Ellis 1990;Zhishu et al. 1993;Kuo 2006Kuo , 2007Kuo , 2008aPippola & Kotiranta 2008;Shirouzu et al. 2009). The voucher specimens were deposited in the Calcutta University Herbarium (CUH).
Habit and habitat: Caespitose, gregarious or arranged in rows, on dead and decayed dicotyledonous woods.  India, coll. K. Acharya. Remarks: Dacryopinax spathularia is well characterised by its spathulate fruit body coloured yellow-orange; presence of thick-walled, cylindrical marginal hyphae; absence of inflated vesicles and hyphal pegs in the abhymenium; and presence of 0-1 septate basidiospores (McNabb 1965;Shirouzu et al. 2009). This is a widely distributed taxon and previously been reported from Japan, North America, and China etc. (McNabb 1965;Zhishu et al. 1993;Shirouzu et al. 2009). It was reported from Rajamunda, Odisha, growing on logs of Shorea robusta (Tiwari et al. 2013). The species was also recorded on wood from Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh (Butler & Bisby 1931). The present collection matches well with the description made from North America (McNabb 1965); however, according to Shirouzu et al. (2009), basidiospores of the specimen from Japan were found to be sub-globose to reniform, while the Indian specimen showed mostly cylindrical basidiospores with the range varying from oblong to bacilliform (Q=1.6-3.0). The specimen reported from China was found to have 1-2 septate basidiospores at maturity, but the basidiospores of our collection showed one septation at maturity.
Habit and habitat: Gregarious to confluent, growing on dead and decayed dicotyledonous woods. Remarks: Characteristic features of Exidia glandulosa includes the presence of brown to black turbinate, gelatinous fruit bodies that often coalescing together to form masses, dotted by minute glandular structures, cruciate septate, stalked basidia and allantoid basidiospores. The Indian collection nicely matches with the description of Ellis & Ellis (1990); however, the habitat of our collection was other dead dicotyledonous wood as compared to the Britain collection that was reported to be oak and hazel. It was reported from Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu (Montagne 1842). Among morphologically similar taxa: Exidia plana differs by its effused fruit body (Roberts 2001) that lacks dot-like glands on its surface. Exidia truncata Fr. has fruit bodies that are not confluent and remain largely free from the substrate, and larger basidiospores (14-22 × 5-7 µm; Ellis & Ellis 1990). Exidia saccharina differs in having caramel to dark brown fruit bodies lying flat on the substrate (Ellis & Ellis 1990). Exidia recisa differs by its amber to dark brown coloured fruit bodies that are not confluent and becomes flabby and drooping when old (Ellis & Ellis 1990).   (Fig. 3, Image 1c) Fruit body 21-39 mm high. Pileus 14-28 mm, fanshaped, glossy, gelatinous, dull red (8C3) to reddishbrown (9D4) when fresh, becoming dark brown (8F4) when dry, hard, cartilaginous; lower hymenial surface covered with dense, soft teeth or spines, teeth 1-3 mm long, white (9A1). Stipe 15-18 × 7-13 mm, lateral, reddish brown (9D4) when fresh, becoming dark brown (8F4) on drying.
Habit and habitat: Solitary, on dead and decayed dicotyledonous wood.
Habit and habitat: Solitary to caespitose, on dead and decayed dicotyledonous wood. Remarks: Distinguishing features of Tremella mesenterica includes a bright yellow, lobed, cerebriform fruit body, presence of cruciate septate phragmobasidia with much longer sterigmata (Ellis & Ellis 1990;Pippola & Kotiranta 2008). The specimen of our collection is similar in characters with the one described from Finland (Pippola & Kotiranta 2008) except having slightly longer sterigmata and presence of distinct oil droplets in basidia and sterigmata. From India, it was reported from Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh, growing on logs of Shorea robusta (Tiwari et al. 2013).