Physarum pusillum (Berk. & M.A. Curtis) G. Lister 1911

Caption:

Details

Name scientific

Physarum pusillum (Berk. & M.A. Curtis) G. Lister in Lister, Monogr. Mycetozoa 64 (1911)

Preferred name

Physarum pusillum (Berk. & M.A. Curtis) G. Lister 1911

Biostatus

Origin

Occurrence

Georegion

Schema

Biostatus source

Comment

Indigenous, non-endemic

Present

New Zealand

Political Region

Anon

Nomenclature

Combination authors

G. Lister

Original authors

Berk. & M.A. Curtis

Authors

(Berk. & M.A. Curtis) G. Lister

Publication place

Lister, A. (revised: Lister, G.) 1911: A Monograph of the Mycetozoa, 2nd ed. 2nd edition.

Year published

1911

Publication page

Nomenclatural code

ICN

Basionym

Didymium pusillum Berk. & M.A. Curtis 1873

Taxonomic rank

species

Canonical form

Physarum pusillum

Classification

Kingdom

Protozoa

Phylum

Eumycetozoa

Class

Myxomycetes

Order

Physarales

Family

Physaraceae

Genus

Physarum

Species

pusillum

Synonyms

Associations

View full associations record

Association type

Associated organism

Association source

has host

Rhopalostylis sapida H.Wendl. & Drude

Stephenson, S.L. (2003)

has host

Arecaceae

PDD (7 records from [Not available].)

has host

Cordyline australis (G.Forst.) Endl.

PDD (1 records from [Not available].)

has host

Lepus europaeus

PDD (1 records from [Not available].)

has host

Nothofagus solandri (Hook.f.) Oerst. var. solandri

PDD (1 records from [Not available].)

has host

Phoenix canariensis Chabaud

PDD (1 records from [Not available].)

has host

Phormium

PDD (1 records from [Not available].)

has host

Rhopalostylis sapida H.Wendl. & Drude

PDD (33 records from [Not available].)

has host

Theobroma cacao

PDD (1 records from [Not available].)

Descriptions

Stephenson, S.L. 2003: Myxomycetes of New Zealand. Fungi of New Zealand. 3. Fungal Diversity Press.

Physarum pusillum (Berk. & M.A. Curtis) G. Lister 1911

Collections Examined

PDD 16432, 23906, 72943

Description

Physarum pezizoideum is easily recognized by the combination of the flat, saucer-shaped ( or "pizza-shaped") sporotheca and the long, reddish-brown stalks. Because this species seems to be restricted to the tropics, its potential ecological distribution in New Zealand is likely to include only the more northern portions of the North Island

Distribution

Reported as cosmopolitan (Martin & Alexopoulos 1969) but particularly common in warm temperate to tropical regions of the world. First reported (as Physarum calidris) from New Zealand by Lister & Lister (1905), based on a specimen collected on Stewart Island. Also known from Auckland, Coromandel, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Wellington, Nelson, and Southland (Rawson 1937).

Habitat

Leaf litter and other types of plant debris.

Illustrations

Martin & Alexopoulos (1969), Nannenga-Bremekamp (1991), Neubert et al. (1995), Ing (1999).

Notes

The reddish brown colour of the stalk and the lower portion of the sporotheca, and the a relatively long stalk, are the distinguishing features of this species. The colour of the peridium is quite variable, and specimens with a yellow peridium are sometimes encountered. Physarum pusillum is one of the myxomycetes commonly found on old decaying fronds of nikau palm (Stephenson 2003).