Lachnellula-splendes_1M

Description:

Lachnellula splendens Dat.: Nov. 10. 2013Lat.: 46.36021 Long.: 46.36021Code: Bot_771/2013_DSC9185Habitat: alpine valley, mixed forest edge, dominant Fagus sylvatica, Picea abies, Ostrya carprinifolia, Fraxinus ornus, Fraxinus excelsior, Corylus avellana, modestly southeast inclined mountain slope, calcareous ground (overgrown old scree, rock and boulders), limestone bedrock, relatively dry and warm place, partly sunny, exposed to direct rain, average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature 7-9 deg C, elevation 600 m (1.950 feet), alpine phytogeographical region.Substratum: dead, thin, very small piece of Picea abies branch loosely lying on rocky ground.Place: Lower Trenta valley, near 'Na Melu' place, between villages Soa and Trenta, East Julian Alps, Posoje, Slovenia EC Comments: This seems to be a rare observation. There are more than 30 species in Genus Lachnellula, which are not easy to determine to species level. By luck L. splendens has unique spores, so I hope my determination is correct. Lachnellulas seem to be associated with Larix decidua canker and therefore an economically important genus. Growing in a group of four fruit bodies on a single small branch. I have been trying hard to find some more fruit bodies, but with no success. Pileus diameter 1.2 (SD = 0.3) mm, n = 4, hairs length: 117 (SD = 23) micr., n = 6. Spores smooth with many small oil drops. Dimensions: 28.9 (SD = 2.3) x 6.4 (SD = 0.5) micr., Q = 4.53 (SD = 0.5), n = 30. Asci dimensions: 145.6 (SD = 11.8) x 15.2 (SD = 1.6) micr., n = 12, with thin apical thickening. Paraphyses width: 1.9 (SD = 0.2) micr. (minimum) and 4.7 (SD = 0.5) micr. (at the apex), n = 12. Olymus CH20, Olympus NEA40x/0.65, 400x and Olympus NEA 10x/0.25, 100 x (hairs), in water. AmScope MA500 digital camera.Herbarium: Mycotheca and lichen herbarium (LJU-Li) of Slovenian Forestry Institute, Vena pot 2, Ljubljana, Index Herbariorum LJFRef.:(1) Dichotomous Key to Lachnellula (worldwide) (Trichoscyphelloideae, Lachnaceae, Helotiales, Ascomycetes), with a synoptic table of characters (H.O. Baral, Feb. 2000, with updates until 2008), unpublished. (2) www.nahuby.sk/obrazok_detail.php?obrazok_id=414710&po... . (3) H. Kahr, W. Maurer, Ch. Scheuer, D. Friesacher and A., Die Haarbecherchen (Lachnellula-Arten) der Steiermark,JoanneaBotanik, 7 (2009), pp 6388. (4)H.O. Baral & O.Baral, G.Marson, In vivo veritas, Hypocreales, 2 x CD, 2nd edition (2003)Nikon D700 / Nikkor Micro 105mm/f2.8