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Thelephora subpilosa ined.

Syn.: Tomentella subpilosa Litsch. 1960

Basidiome effused, separable, araneose to pellicular, soft, up to 0.2 (0.3) mm thick.
Hymenophore mostly discontinuous, tufted, finely granulose, greyish brown or dark greyish brown (10YR 5–4/2) to olivaceous grey (5Y 4/1–2) when fresh, fading to brown (10YR 5–4/3) or olivaceous grey (2.5–5Y 5–4/2) when dry.
Subiculum as a thin, poorly developed layer inseparable from subhymenium, very loose and rhizomorphic near the substrate, araneose to byssoid or loosely fibrous, almost concolour to slightly more yellowish brown than the fertile area when dry (10YR 4/4).
Margin indistinct or distinct, indefinitely thinning out, araneose or byssoid, whitish (only when fresh) to concolour with the subiculum or fertile area (never with yellow colours).
Rhizomorphs frequent below the subiculum, at the margin and in cracks of the substrate, evident when the basidiome can be turned upside-down, compact, almost smooth, up to 0.1 (0.2) mm thick, very dark brown to almost black.

Hyphal system dimitic with binding-like skeletal hyphae associated with rhizomorphs; generative hyphae mostly with fibulate primary septa.
Subicular hyphae regular, 4–7 (8) µm in diam., with thickening wall, light ochre brown to light brown.
Subhymenial hyphae regular, (3) 4–6 (8) µm in diam., often branched from clamps, thin-walled, subhyaline to pale ochre brown or pale brown.
Rhizomorphs starting as simple strands built up by hyphae like the subicular ones but soon with more thickening and coloured wall, then becoming compactly arranged, with dark brown thick-walled hyphae showing frequent repetitive secondary septa and developing progressively thinning skeletal hyphae, 2–4 µm in diam. that may build incomplete and reduced labyrithiform structures of richly branched 1–2 µm wide hyphae with frequent secondary septa on rhizomorphal surface.
Cystidia clavate to long clavate, sometimes also with an 'Y' shape or with an outgrow just below the first septum from top, of hymenial, subhymenial or subicular origin, short in hymenium, long if from subiculum, (50) 80–160 (250) x (8) 10–16 (19) µm, with 0–2 fibulate septa along their length, with thin or thickening wall, enclosed or projecting, subhyaline to pale yellowish brown.
Basidia subcylindrical with a slight median compression, 30–50 x (7) 8–10 µm, subhyaline; 4 sterigmata up to 6 µm long and 1–1.5 (2) µm wide at the base.
Basidiospores with somewhat irregular outline, infrequently becoming more or less distinctly lobed, frontal face irregularly ellipsoid to ovoid, lateral face irregularly ellipsoid with a flattening adaxial side, polar face irregularly globose, (7) 7.5–9 (9.5) x 5.5–6.5 (7) x (6.2) 6.5–7.5 (8) µm, Q¹ = (1.15) 1.2–1.5 (1.8), Q² = (1.05) 1.1–1.3 (1.4), with thickening or thick wall, brownish; aculei 0.5–1.5 µm long and 0.4–0.6 (0.8) µm wide at the base, single, tapering.
Chlamydospores absent.
Incrustation none worth of notice seen.
Chemical reactions IKI–. CB: thin-walled hymenial elements and young spores more or less distinctly cyanophilous. KOH: almost none observed or a faint change of elements becoming slightly more umbrinous

description: Elia Martini

drawing and photo: Elia Martini