Phaeoclavulina decurrens (Gomphales, Basidiomycetes) – the first record for a coral fungus for the Maltese Islands

Stephen Mifsud

doi:10.21608/mb.2019.65860

Abstract

The study about the mycobiota of the island of Gozo within the Maltese archipelago has resulted in the finding of new record of a basidiomycete – Phaeoclavulina decurrens. It is a coral fungus that grows on leaf litter of deciduous trees, where in fact, it was located under Ceratonia siliqua in a maquis community. The record as well the genus is also new for the Maltese Islands. A morphological description supplemented with macro- and micro-photographs are presented together with details about the ecology of this record. A brief taxonomic account of this species and its resemblance with closely related species are discussed.

Highlights

The mycobiota of the Maltese islands, an archipelago of five islands with a total surface area of 316 km2, have been studied in staggered periods: at the early 20th century by Saccardo (1912, 1914, 1915) and Sommier and Caruana Gatto (1915); the seventies and eighties by Michael Briffa and Edwin Lanfranco (e.g. Briffa and Lanfranco 1986); and again since the last fifteen years by a few authors
The records of macrofungi from Gozo are only a small fraction compared to those that have been recorded in mainland Malta and the latter are still an unrepresented number of the actual mycobiota occurring on the Maltese Islands
Phaeoclavulina decurrens is closely related to P. flaccida (Fr.) Giachini. where it was initially synonymised with, when the genus Phaeoclavulina was erected and the species of Ramaria subgenus Echinoramaria were recombined within (Giachini and Castellano, 2011)

Summary

Introduction

The mycobiota of the Maltese islands, an archipelago of five islands with a total surface area of 316 km, have been studied in staggered periods: at the early 20th century by Saccardo (1912, 1914, 1915) and Sommier and Caruana Gatto (1915); the seventies and eighties by Michael Briffa and Edwin Lanfranco (e.g. Briffa and Lanfranco 1986); and again since the last fifteen years by a few authors. The mycobiota of the Maltese islands, an archipelago of five islands with a total surface area of 316 km, have been studied in staggered periods: at the early 20th century by Saccardo (1912, 1914, 1915) and Sommier and Caruana Gatto (1915); the seventies and eighties by Michael Briffa and Edwin Lanfranco The author commenced mycological investigations in Gozo since the last ten years which resulted in some important contributions to this small island but to the national inventory of microfungi e.g. teleomorphic Ascomycota (Cosmospora cf flavoviridis (Fuckel) Rossman & Samuels, Morchella galilaea Masaphy & Clowez, Erysiphe heraclei DC in Mifsud 2017a, b, c), Protozoan fungal analogues (Lycogala confusum Nann.-Bremek ex Ing in Mifsud 2017c) and Basidiomycetes

Methods

Results

Conclusion