Phylum:Myxomycota >> Class: Myxomycetes >>  Order: Trichiales 
   
 
 BCRC Number NO BCRC Number!  
   
 Scientific Name: Calomyxa metallica
 
   
   
 Author:

Physarum metallicum Berkeley, Mag. Zool. Bot. 1: 49. 1836.

Calomyxa metallica (Berk.) Nieuwl., Am. Midl. Nat. 4: 335. 1916.

   
 
 
 
 
 Description: Fructifications sporangiate, varying to plasmodiocarpous, scattered. Sporangia sessile, globose to pulvinate, iridescent yellow or coppery, 0.20-0.45 mm in diameter. Peridium membranous, translucent, shinny. Capillitium dull yellow, consisting of highly elastic threads, the thread solid, long and slender, minutely warted, 1.0-1.5 μm in diameter, not evenly thick in places, pale by transmitted light. Spores yellow or light yellow in mass, palid (yellowish) by transmitted light, globose, echinulate or minutely warted, (8.5-) 9.0-11.0 μm in diameter.
 
 
 
 
 
 Specimens:

Taipei City: Pei-tou, 2 May 1991, CHL B847; NTU campus, 29 Nov 1986, CHL B692a. Pingtung County: Wan-li-tê Mt., 22 Feb 1996, Y.F. Chen 167.

 
 
 
 Habitat: On bark of living trees (Caryota urens Linn, Bischofia javanica Blume).
 
 
 
 Distribution:

Jamaica, Chile, China, India, Japan, Philippines, Taiwan, Florida (U.S.A.), widely distributed in Europe.

 
 
 
 References:

Martin GW and Alexopoulos, CJ. 1969; Wang et al. 1981.

   
   
   
 Provided:

C. H. Liu

 
 
 Note: The sporangia appeared either in a moist chamber cultulre (made on 4/26-5/2/1991), or were collected directly from the bark. The distinct characters are the iridescent peridium and the slender capillitial threads. It was reported as new to Taiwan (Wang et al. 1981) without any descriptions of the species.