DEPAHTMENT OF BOTANY Volume III. 1956 Number 13 The Gasteromycetes of Queensland II-Secotiaceae BY JOAN \\J'. CRIBB, M.Sc. Department of Botany University of Queensland THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND PRESS BRISBANE 30th NOVEMBER, 1956 rrhe Gasteromycetes of Queensland- Secotiaceae JOAN W. CRIBB One new genus, four new species and one new variety of Secotiaceae from Queensland are described, viz., Gyrnnogastn' gen. nov., Gvmnogasler oolctoides sp. n., Seeotium lamingtonellse sp. n., S. larnellatum sp. n., S. ret-ieulalurn sp. n., and S. sess'ile Mass. & Eodw. var. texturn var. n., S. oehraceum Rodw. is recorded for the first time from the Australian, mainlanc;l. INTRODUCTION The family Secotiaceae as treated by Cunningham (1024, 19M) contained the solitary genus Secotium. Eleven species, ten of them endemic, have previously been recorded from Australia, but none from Queensland. The six species here recorded from Queensland are all Australian endemics, and bear little resemblance to species described from Europe (Bataille 1932), America (Zeller and Dodge 1934, under Elasmomyces) , Malaya (Corner and Hawker 1953, under Elasmomyces) and New Zealand (Cunningham 1944, Heim 1951). Secotium lamingtonense sp. n. Fig. 5 Peridium subglobosllm, 6-16 mm. diarn., apiee leviter umbilieato, baso aliquantum effodeto, album tum .flavidum-album, leve, 150-230 fl. erassum, hyphis textis; stipito albo, solido, aequo, projeetanto, usque ad 4 mm. longo, 2 mm. crasso; columella alba, plerurnque adhaerenta; gleba fiavida-alba, eellulis Iabyrinthiformibus, usque ad 2 mm. diam., vacllis; tramis 30-65 fl. crassis, hyphis textis partim gelatinosis; sporis globosis, 7-10 fl. diam. (spinosis exlusis), hyalinis, spinosis angustis usque ad 4 fl. altis. Hab.: In Lamington Plateau, 23.v.1955 (A. B. Cribb)-TYPE. The species is distinguished from others of the genus by the unusual type of spore marking. The hyaline globose spore is covered with irregularly arranged, tall, laterally flattened spines. On examination of the spore, some of these spines may be seen in face view, some in end view, while others, viewed from the top, appear as ridges on the spore. Focussing upwards on one of these "ridges" shows that it is actually a flattened spine with an acute apex. The peridium in the fresh specimens was smooth and white. The white colour, however, turns, on bruising, to cream, the colour observed in dried specimens. The peridium also becomes much wrinkled on drying, and shrinks to 65-100 11. thick. Secotium lameHatum sp. n. Fig. 1-2 Peridium depressum, usque ad 6 x 3 em. diam., usque ad 2.3 cm. altum, apiee plano vel aliquantum depresso, lateris aliquantum sulcatis, baso sulcato aliquantum effodeto, leve, viscidurn, purpureum iromaturitate, russuro-brllnneum maturitate, infra absentllm, usque ad 1.5 mm. erassum, hyphis textis; stipito albido, solido, 1 em. diam., baso aliquantum erassioro, radico longo erasso; columella alba, aequa, adhaerenta; gleba lamellata vel sublamellata, albida et ferruginea, eellulis subimpletis usque ad 1. mm. diam.; tramis 1l0-400 fl. erassis. hyphis textis gelatinosis; sporis globosis, ferrugineis, 15-22.5 jJ. diam., verrucis erassis usque ad 5.5 fl. altis. Hab.: Projectans in silvam in Mt. Cordeaux, 24.ix.195,') (A. B. Cribb)-TYPE. Other collection: Lamington Plateau, 27.v.1955 (S. Singh). In most of the known species of Secoti-um, the gleba is distinctly cellular, t.he cells or cavities being usually elliptical, polygonal, or laterally compressed. Several previously­ described species, however, differ in having a distinctly lamellate gleba, and it is to this group that S. lamellatum belongs. The hamal plates are arranged vertically as in Agaric'us, but are firmly attached at top <!nd bottom to the peridium; the peridium on the under surface is thin and deeply sulcate corresponding to the lamellae; it is wanting over a small area of the gleba close to the stipe--a condition observed in other species having an excavated base. Difierent specimens in the two collections show various degrees of anastomosis of the lamellae -those of the type collection show distinctly more than those from Lamingtoll Plateau, where the lamellae are almost entirely free from one another (fig. 1). 108 JOAN W. CRIBB In possessing a distinctly lamellate r,-leba, the Queensland species shows some resemblance to three previously described species of Secotium, viz., S. agaricoides (Czern.) Hollos, occurrinfi in Asia, Europe, North Africa, North America, Western Australia and South Australia, S. novae-zelandiae Cunn., occurring in New Zealand (Cunningham 1944), and S. obtusum Lloyd, occurring in South Africa (Bottomley 1948). However, in S. agaricoides the spores are sub­ globose and smooth, in S. novae-zelandiae ovate or elliptical and smooth, in S. obtusum globose or subglobose and obscurely and sparsely verrucose, while those of S. lamellatum are globose and covered with coarse warts. In both S. obtusum and S. lamellatum the gleba shows alternating bands of brown spore mass and pale tramal plates; the spores of S. obtusurn (5-6 ,.,. diam.) however are much smaller than those of S. lamellatum (15-22.5 ,u diam.). The two collections of S. lamellatum comprise three specimens at different stages of development, although all are apparently of full size. In the type collection the spores are quite mature and are seen to be ferruginous with coarse warts (fig. 2c). In the other collection, the spores are somewhat less mature, and appear to have a spiny epispore covered by a smooth gelatinous exospore (fig. 2a); apparently this exospore, Oil maturity of the spore, splits between the spines of the epispore, forming the coarse warts. The epispore spines can be seen within the warts on careful examination of the completely mature spores, each wart enclosing usually 1-3 spines. The warts may be flat-topped or rounded. A few very immature spores show a thick smooth gelatinous exospore (4.2 ,.,. thick) surrounding an almost smooth epispore. Secotium reticulatum sp. n. Fig. 3,·4 Peridium depressum, 1.5 cm. diam., 8 mm. altum, apiee plano, baso truneato et effodeto, leve, albidum, 210-255 ,u crassum, hyphis extus e. 120 ft pseudoparenehymatis, intus e. 105 ,.,. textis; stipito albido, solido, c. 2 em. longo, 3 mll.. crasso, 1.5 mm. erasso in baso; columella semi-libera, apico leviter expanso; gleba sublamellata, pallida brunnea, eellulis vacuis; tramis 60-105 ,.,. crassis, hyphis textis; spods globosis, 17-21 ,.,. diam. (reticulis inclusis), ferrugineus, exigue reticulatis, reticulis usque ad 4.2 11. altis. Flab.: In silvam in Mt. Edwards, 7.xii.1954 (A. B. Cribb)-TYPE. This species resembles the preceding one in possessing a sublamellate gleba. The type collection consists of one specimen only; it is possible that a range of specimens will show the gleba in general tending towards either the lamellate or the elongate cellular condition. S. reticulatum may he distinguished from other species of the genus--Iamellate or cellular-by the reticulate markings of the spore walls; in the other species the spore wall may be smooth, spinose, verrucose or warted. The reticulations, although sparse, are distinct, and appear to arise in the same way as do the spore markings of S. lamellatum. In immature hyaline spores, they are to be seen distinctly within the gelatinous exospore, which in mature ferruginous spores (seen in the same specimen) becomes rugulose-reticulate to correspond with these reticulations. In some cases the spores appear to be almost striate with anasto­ mosing striae, rather than reticulate. S. reticulatum is the only Australian species of Secotium to have a two-layered peridium. Two species restricted to New Zealand, viz., S. virescens Mass. and S. areolatum Cunn., also possess this feature, but both differ from S. reticulatum mainly in having a cellular gleba and smooth elliptical spores. Secotium sessile Mass. & Rodw. val' textum val'. n. Fig. 6 Hyphis peridii et tramarum textis; cellulis glebae 1-2 mm. longis. I~amington National Park, 26.v.1955, A. B. Cribb-TYPE; Brisbane (June); Mt. Mitchell (Apr.); Mt. Glorious (Feb., June); South Johnstone (June). These collections represent the most frequently found species of Secotium occurring in Queensland. S. sessile, known previously only from Tasmania, is "identified readily by the smooth peridium, labyrinthiform gleba and globose, verruculose spores" (Cunningham 1944). The Queensland specimens agree with this description: the spores appear to be identical, THE GASTEROMYCETES OF QUEENSLAND-II lO!} being globose, 9-12 ft diameter, hyaline, verruculose and shortly pedicelled; the peridium is of similar size, shape and colouring; cystidia, which have been found only in this one species of the genus, have been observed in the Queensland collections. The Queensland specimens, however, differ from the species in the nature of the peridium and tramal plates, which are pseudoparenchymatous in S. sessile, but of woven hyphae in the variety. Cunningham gives the length of the glebal cells as "to 10 mm.", whereas in the Queensland material they do not exceed 2 mm. The species is described as having the columella free throughout. Queensland collectioLls show the columella adherent to the gleba for at least half of its length, but with a strong tendency to tear away easily in dried specimens. Possibly this tearing had occurred in specimens examined by Cunningham; otherwise this character provides a third distinction for the variety. The differences shown between the Queensland material and the species seem insufficient to warrant the erection of a new species, but are important enough to justify the placing of Queensland collections in var. text%m var. n. of Secotium sessile. Secotium ochraceum Rodw. (1920) Lamington National Park (Mar.). This species was known previously only from the type collection from Hobart, Tasmania. In Rodway's original description of the species, the peridium was described as ochraceous, and the fructification hypogaean. The Queensland collection was epigaean and there was a distinct lavender colour in the peridium and stipe. However, Cunningham (19J:i3) states ;--­ "Secotium ochracemn may be coloured lavender when fresh, especially if epigaean.