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Thelephora brunneofirma (M.J. Larsen) Kõljalg, I. Saar & Svantesson 2024

Syn.: Tomentella brunneofirma M.J. Larsen 1967

Basidiome effused, adherent, compact, rather firm, up to 0.4 (0.7) mm thick.
Hymenophore smooth, continuous, relatively thin and compact, slightly crustose, sometimes coarsely fissured, pale brown when young, becoming brown (10YR 5/3), some small parts dark greyish brown (10YR 4/2).
Subhymenium thickening, compact, up to 0.2 mm thick.
Subiculum well developed to thick, relatively soft, tomentose or felted, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) to very dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2), darker than the hymenial surface.
Margin indistinct or distinct, sterile or almost so, rather abrupt or thinning out, thin to thick, very pale brown (10YR 8–7/3), paler than the fertile area.
Rhizomorphs absent.

Hyphal system monomitic; all generative hyphae with simple septa.
Subicular hyphae mostly regular or rarely irregular and sinuous with frequent septa, (2.5) 3–5 (6) µm wide (mostly 4 µm), with thickening to thick walls, pale yellowish brown to ochraceous brown.
Subhymenial hyphae regular or almost so, 3–5.5 (6.5) µm wide, thinwalled or with thickening walls in deep subhymenium, subhyaline to pale yellowish brown.
Cystidia absent.
Basidia clavate to stout clavate, often somewhat sinuous, 40–60 (70) x 10–12 (13) µm at top, 6.5–9 µm at the lower middle, subhyaline, often with ochraceous to brown content; 4 sterigmata up to 8 µm long and 2–2.5 µm wide at the base.
Basidiospores with regular to somewhat irregular outline (somewhat potatiform); lateral face ellipsoid with flattening or slightly depressed adaxial side; frontal face ellipsoid to ovoid; polar face globose; (8.0) 8.5–[9.8]–11.0 (11.7) µm long, 6.0–[7.1]–7.8 (8.0) µm in side view, (6.8) 7.2–[7.9]–8.5 (9.0) µm in frontal view, Q¹ = 1.26–1.5 (1.54), Q² = (1.16) 1.18–1.38 (1.43), asperulate to shortly echinulate, light yellowish brown to ochraceous, not guttulate. Aculei up to 0.8 (1.2) µm long and 0.4–0.8 (1.0) µm wide at the base single, blunt to slightly tapering, unevenly distributed, mostly single, sometimes paired at the base.
Chlamydospores absent.
Incrustation: presence in the thickening hymenium of brown to dark brown adhering material and occasionally also grey brown to dark blue granules or indefinite spots in water mounts mostly dissolving in KOH.
Chemical reactions: CB: all elements with acyanophilous walls. IKI— KOH: variable, some parts cyanescent some not at all. Some mounts can show a distinct green basic coloration, some parts can assume a light to dark green-grey-bluish or dark blue diffuse coloration (in presence of air or not) or show the presence of dark bluish granules.

description: Elia Martini

drawings: Elia Martini