A contribution to the morphology and ecology of Mycenastrum corium (Agaricales) MARIA ŁAWRYNOWICZ1 and ANDRZEJ RADWAŃSKI2 1Department of Algology and Mycology, University of Łódź Banacha 12/16, PL 90 237 Łódź, miklaw@biol.uni.lodz.pl 2Institute of Geology, University of Warsaw Żwirki i Wigury 93, PL 02 089 Warszawa Ł a w r y n o w i c z M . , R a d w a ń s k i A .: A contribution to the morphology and ecology of Mycenastrum corium (Agaricales). Acta Mycol. 41(1): 73 78, 2006. An interesting collection of Mycenastrum corium from Suwałki Region (NE Poland) close to the Russian and Lithuenian frontiers is presented in this paper. Two specimens were found ca. 20 cm under the soil surface. Macro and micromorphological features are compared with those of Mycenastrum corium growing at the surface. Key words: macrofungi, gastromycetoid fungi, ecology of fungi, distribution, hypogeous form INTRODUCTION Mycenastrum corium (Guers.) Desvaux has been observed in Poland since 1889 (B ł o ń s k i 1890). Recently, K u j a w a , B u j a k i e w i c z and K a r g (2004) have given a review of 14 localities with a map showing an accumulation of points in the central part of the country. Now we report a new and rather unusual site of M. corium dis- covered in the corner forming the Russian, Lithuanian and Polish borders (Fig. 1). Basidiocarps were situated below the soil surface (Fig. 2). During field work in Suwałki Region, one of us (A.R.) discovered two basidi- ocarps determined as Mycenastrum corium by the first author. More detailed ex- amination of this collection has showed that fruitbodies growing underground are slightly different in comparison with specimens preserved in Herbarium Universi- tatis Lodziensis (LOD 825) found as occurring on the soil surface at Wierzbice on pastures surrounding artificial lake, Zalew Zegrzyński, 19.06.1972, leg. Maria Ław- rynowicz (C a l o n g e, Ł a w r y n o w i c z 1986). The aim of the present paper was to describe and illustrate by scanning electron micrographs morphological characters of recently found specimens of Mycenastrum, to show briefly the differences between them and surface growing specimens and to provide an illustrated commentary on the site where the specimens were found. ACTA MYCOLOGICA Vol. 41 (1): 73-78 2006 Dedicated to Professor Alina Skirgiełło on the occasion of her ninety fifth birthday A contribution to the morphology and ecology of Mycenastrum corium 75 Agropyron repens, as a whole, evidently affected by human activities; associated fungi: Marasmius oreades commonly appearing from time to time; Langermannia gigantea and Agaricus arvensis occurring locally in wet periods of summer to autumn. DISTRIBUTION AND ECOLOGY IN GENERAL Mycenastrum corium is known as an epigeous, saprotrophic, nitrophilous, synan- thropic ephemeral species (K r e i s e l 1982, 2001; Wo j e w o d a 2003). It was found at a variety of sites, from xerothermic to mesophilic and even boggy habitats. Wo j e w - o d a (2003) has summarised its occurrence in Poland as follows: “On dry meadows and pastures, by roads, near houses, xerothermic places, in grass, also on soil with gypsum”. It is indicated as a rare species in Poland on the Red List (Wo j e w o d a , Ł a w r y n o w i c z 2006) in the category V (vulnerable). Mycenastrum corium is probably much more common, but it grows on sites which are rather seldom visited by mycologists (C a l o n g e , Ł a w r y n o w i c z 1986). The species can colonise habitats over a large alltitudial range. In Germany up to 330 m a.s.l., in the Canaries up to 820 m a.s.l. The total distribution is amphizonal, mainly subcontinental and continental, with isolated localities as far north as the boreal zone, and in mountain regions of tropical East Africa (K r e i s e l 1982). Some authors, for example: B e n k e r t (2004); D ö r f e l d t and B r e s i n s k y 2003; G r o s s , R u n g e and W i n t e r h o f f (1980); K r e i s e l (1982), write about changing distribution of M. corium in recent years. K r e i s e l (2001, 2006) drew attention to influences of global climate changes on geographical distribution of some macro- mycetes including Mycenastrum corium. K u j a w a et al. (2004) supplies a map with 14 localities known so far in Poland. It shows that only one locality: a drained and dried peat bog called Kuwasy near Grajewo on the Biebrza river had been known from north-east Poland before the site at Wiżajny Lake presented in this paper was discovered. Ta b l e 1 Differences in fruitbodies of Mycenastrum M. corium (epigeous) M. corium (hypogeous) basidiocarp white, yellowish to brown when old chocolate brown exoperidium with patches homogenous capillitium long, sharply pointed spines commonly bifurcate with short stumpy spines 76 M. Ławrynowicz and A. Radwański FINAL REMARKS 1. Mycenastrum has never been mentioned as hypogeous in the literature by my- cologists searching for both epigeous gasteromycetes and hypogeous fungi. 2. Specimens described differ conspicuously in morphology from known Myce- nastrum collections. They have a chocolate coloured smooth surface without patches and thicker capillitium hyphae (8-10 μm) which are commonly bifurcate, with short, uniformly distributed stumpy spines. 3. The locality is unique, the most northeastern in Poland but this region has been inadequately searched for fungi, especially in ruderal places. 4. Taking into account increasing number of localities in the last years, we hope our contribution will stimulate mycologists to pay attention also to hypogeous sites when looking for Mycenastrum corium. Acknowledgment. The authors thank Professor Katarzyna Turnau and Doctor Piotr Mleczko of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków for the facilities and assistance in preparing scanning electron micro graphs and Doctor David Minter (Egham) for improving the English version of this paper. This study was supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, grant no. 3 PO4G 07425. REFERENCES B e n k e r t D . 2004. Die Mark Brandenburg, auch ein Einwanderungsland für Pilze. Verh. Bot. Ver. Berlin Brandenburg 137: 489 514. B ł o ń s k i F. 1890. Wyniki poszukiwań florystycznych skrytokwiatowych dokonanych w ciągu lata r. 1889 w obrębie 5 ciu powiatów Królestwa Polskiego. Pamiętn. Fizjogr. 10: 129 190. C a l o n g e F. D . , Ł a w r y n o w i c z M . 1986. A contribution to the chorology of some Gasteromycetes in Poland. Acta Mycol. 18 (2): 161 170. D e s v a u x A . N . 1842. Sur le genre Mycenastrum du groupe des Lycoperdées. Ann. Sci. Nat., 2 sér. 17: 143 147. 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A contribution to the morphology and ecology of Mycenastrum corium 77 Przyczynek do morfologii i ekologii Mycenastrum corium S t r e s z c z e n i e Przedmiotem publikacji jest analiza morfologiczna i siedliskowa Mycenastrum corium, którego owocniki występowały na głębokości 20 cm pod powierzchnią gleby na wzniesieniu graniczącym z Jeziorem Wiżajny w pobliżu zbiegu granic Polski, Litwy i Rosji. Dwa owocniki odkrył współautor (A. R.) kopiąc ziemię w pobliżu drewnianych zabudowań. Cechy taksonomiczne, makro i mikromorfologiczne owocnika rosnącego pod ziemią zo stały opisane oraz przedstawione na rycinach, a także zestawione w tabeli porównawczej z ce chami owocników naziemnych Mycenastrum corium. Autorzy zwracają uwagę na podziemne występowanie Mycenastrum corium na najdalej na północ wysuniętym stanowisku tego grzyba w Polsce. 2014-01-01T11:43:36+0100 Polish Botanical Society