Lycogala maculatum Leontyev, Schnittler & Ishchenko, 2023

Song, Wen-Long, Jiang, Zi-Qiong, Li, Min, Leontyev, Dmytro, Gao, Yang & Chen, Shuang-Lin, 2025, Comprehensive revision of Lycogala (Myxomycetes) in subtropical China: morphological and phylogenetic insights and ten new species, IMA Fungus 16, pp. e 147535-e 147535 : e147535-

Lycogala maculatum Leontyev, Schnittler & Ishchenko , in Leontyev, Ishchenko & Schnittler, Mycologia 115 (4): 527 (2023)

Specimen examined.

CHINA • Jiangxi Province: Guan Mountain National Nature Reserve , on rotten wood, 12 Sep 2024, collected by Xiao-Dong Liu and Yang Gao ( HFNNU 11167 ) ; • Guan Mountain National Nature Reserve , on rotten wood, 12 Sep 2024, collected by Xiao-Dong Liu and Yang Gao ( HFNNU 11168 ) ; • Wuyi Mountain National Park , on rotten wood, 31 Jul 2023, collected by Yang Gao ( HFNNU 11174 ) ; • Wuyi Mountain National Park , on rotten wood, 31 Jul 2023, collected by Yang Gao ( HFNNU 11175 ) ; • Guan Mountain National Nature Reserve , on rotten wood, 24 Aug 2020, collected by Xiao-Dong Liu and Yang Gao ( HFNNU 11188 ) ; • Guan Mountain National Nature Reserve , on rotten wood, 24 Aug 2020, collected by Xiao-Dong Liu and Yang Gao ( HFNNU 11189 ) ; • Qiyun Mountain National Nature Reserve , on rotten wood, 2 Jul 2024, collected by Yang Gao ( HFNNU 11193 ) ; • Qiyun Mountain National Nature Reserve , on rotten wood, 2 Jul 2024, collected by Yang Gao ( HFNNU 11194 ) ; • Lu Mountain National Nature Reserve , 29.5589°N, 115.9760°E, on rotten wood, 16 Jul 2022, collected by Yang Gao ( HFNNU 11195 ) ; • Lu Mountain National Nature Reserve , 29.5682°N, 116.0030°E, on rotten wood, 16 Jul 2022, collected by Yang Gao ( HFNNU 11196 ) ; • Guan Mountain National Nature Reserve , 28.5428°N, 114.6326°E, on rotten wood, 7 Aug 2024, collected by Xiao-Dong Liu ( HFNNU 11222 ) . • Guizhou Province: Changpoling National Nature Reserve , 26.6622°N, 106.6771°E, on rotten wood, 20 Aug 2023, collected by Yang Gao ( HFNNU 11250 ) ; • Changpoling National Nature Reserve , 26.6658°N, 106.6879°E, on rotten wood, 20 Aug 2023, collected by Yang Gao ( HFNNU 11251 ) .

Distribution.

Ukraine, Russia, Vietnam, Germany ( Leontyev et al. 2023 b), Belarus ( Leontyev et al. 2023 b; Leontyev et al. 2024), Norway ( Johannesen and Vetlesen 2024), and China ( Leontyev et al. 2023 b, and this study).

Notes.

Lycogala maculatum was separated from L. epidendrum complex based on morphological characteristics and two-gene phylogenetic analysis (SSU and COI) by Leontyev et al. (2023 a, b). The first record of L. maculatum in China was in Shunhuang Mountain National Forest Park, Hunan Province ( Leontyev et al. 2023 b). In this study, we provide new data on the distribution of this species in China, including Jiangxi Province and Guizhou Province (Table 1 ). Peridium in this species is covered with large, solitary, dark brown vesicles and is often dark itself ( Leontyev et al. 2023 b). Compared to similar species, L. alisaulianovae and Lycogala roseosporum , the color of the spore mass of L. maculatum is gray, later warm gray, in old specimens yellowish-gray ( Leontyev et al. 2023 b), while the color of the spore mass of L. alisaulianovae and L. roseosporum is bright pink and bluish, respectively. In our material, the color of the spore mass of L. maculatum sometimes appeared rather bright pink, although not as saturated as in L. roseosporum . Therefore, the range of variation of the color of the spore mass in L. maculatum needs further exploration.