Bull. Natn. Sci. Mus., Tokyo, Ser. B, 22(1), pp. 23- 26, March 22, 1996

Several Myxomycetes from Sierra Leone
ByYukinori YAMAMOT0 1, Hiromitsu HAGIWARA 2,Hiromori MURAN0 3 and Hideyuki SAND04
1101o-53 Ohtsu-ko, Kochi-shi, Kochi 781- 51, Japan
Department of Botany, National Science Museum,4- 1- 1 Amakubo, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305, Japan3
3-1o-5 Nishiogi-minami, Suginami-ku, Tokyo 167, Japan
4Wakayama Prefectural Research Center of Environment Sciencesand Health, 3- 3-45 Sunayama-minami, Wakayama 640, Japan
2Abstract Ten taxa of myxomycetes are reported from Sierra Leone, West Africa. Of
them six are new to this country: Arcyria denudata, Ceratiomyxa cf. fruticulosa var.
descendens, C. fruticulosa var. fiexuosa, Lycogala exiguum, Physarum nucleatum andP. tenerum.

Sierra Leone lies on the west coast of Africa and between latitudes 7°N andl0°N. In 1967, the first report of myxomycetes was published by ING. He
enumerated 34 species in it. Subsequently RAMMELOO (1979) described a newspecies of the genus Hemitrichia. As far as we know, these 35 species have beenrecorded in this country.
In November of 1995, three of us, HAGIWARA, MuRANO and SANDO, had
an opportunity of visiting to Sierra Leone. They collected myxomycetes at twosites, Regent and Guma Valley, in Western Area. As a result of the examination,
ten taxa were recognized. Of them six are new to this country. The specimens
examined are deposited in the herbarium of National Science Museum, Tokyo(TNS).

List of species
Ten taxa belong to 8 species which are arranged alphabetically in thefollowing list. An asterisk (*) preceding the number indicates "new to SierraLeone."
1.

Arcyria cinerea (Bull.) Pers., Syn. Fung.: 184 (1801) .

Specimens examined: 95SR-4, on dead wood, Guma Valley, coil. H. Murano, 15 XI 1995; 95
SR-7, on dead wood, Regent, coil. H. Murano & H . Sando, 16 XI 1995.
Distribution: Cosmopolitan.

Y. YAMAMOTO, H . HAGIWARA, H . MURANO and H. SANDO

24The latter specimen (95SR-7) has both digitate sporocarps and free ones.
The digitate form intermixed with free one is frequently found in warm temperate, subtropical and tropical regions.
*2. Arcyria denudata (L.) Wettst., Verb. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien 35: Abh. 535(1886).
Specimen examined: 95SR-5, on bark and wood of dead tree, Guma Valley, coli. H . Murano,
15 XI 1995.
Distribution: Cosmopolitan.

3. Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa (Miill.) Macbr. var. fruticulosa, N. Am. SlimeMoulds: 18 (1899).
Specimen examined: 95SR-1 , on dead wood, Guma Valley, coli. H . Sando, 15 XI 1995.
Distribution: Cosmopolitan.

*4. Ceratiomyxa cf. fruticulosa (M till.) Macbr. var. descendens Emoto, Proc.
Imp. Acad. 9: 416 (1933).
(Fig. 1)
Specimen examined: 95SR-10, on dead wood, Guma Valley, coli. H . Murano & H . Sando, 16
XI 1995.

In var. descendens, sporocarps are produced on the basal part of thesporophore and this basal part is sunken after drying. In these respects, thisvariety differs from var. fruticulosa.
The specimen examined is different from the usual form of var. descendens inits scattered sporophores with basal disks (Fig. lA) .

A

0.3mm

25.JL mFig. I. Ceratiomyxa cf. fruticulosa var. descendens (95SR-10).
Tip of a sporophore. C. Sporocarp.

A. Two sporophores. B.

Several Myxomycetes from Sierra Leone25*5. Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa (Miill.) Macbr. var ftexuosa A. Lister, Mycetozoa:
26 (1894).
Specimen examined: 95SR-6, on dead wood, Guma Valley, coli. H . Sando, 15 XI 1995.
Distribution: Abundant in tropical regions; South Africa; France; Japan.

6. Hemitrichia clavata (Pers.) Rost. var. calyculata (Speg.) Y. Yamam., in
Yamamoto, Hagiwara & Sultana, Cryptogamic Flora of Pakistan Vol. 2 (N akaike& Malik eds.): 28 (1993).
Syn. Hemitrichia calyculata (Speg.) Farr, Mycologia 66: 887 (1974).
Specimens examined: 95SR-2, on bark of dead tree, Guma Valley, coli. H. Hagiwara, 15 XI
1995; 95SR-3, on bark and wood of dead tree, Guma Valley, coli. H. Murano, 15 XI 1995; 95SR-13,
on dead wood, Regent, coli. H. Murano & H . Sando, 16 XI 1995.
Distribution: Common in temperate and tropical regions.

*7.

Lycogala exiguum Morgan, J. Cinc. Soc. Nat. Hist. 15: 134 (1893) .

Specimen examined: 95SR-5, on bark and wood of dead tree, Guma Valley, coli. H. Murano,
15 XI 1995.
Distribution: Cosmopolitan.

*8.

Physarum nucleatum Rex, Proc. Acad. Phila. 43: 389 (1891).

Specimen examined: 95SR-II, on bark and wood of dead tree, Regent, coli. H . Murano & H .
Sando, 16 XI 1995.

8c25p.mi]Fig. 2. Physarum tenerum (95SR-8). A. Two sporocarps. B. Stalk. C. Capillitium. D .
Part of capillitium and a spore.

Y. YAMAMOTO, H. HAGIWARA, H. MURANO and H. SANDO

26

Distribution: Widely distributed in tropical regions; South Africa; England; Rumania; Japan;
U.S.A.

This species is somewhat similar to Physarum tenerum Rex, but differs in its
limeless stalk and central lime ball in the capitulum (sporangium proper) .
9.

Physarum nutans Pers., Am. Bot. Usteri 15: 6 (1795) .
Specimen examined: 95SR-9, on dead wood, Regent, coli. H. Murano & H. Sando, 16 XI 1995.
Distribution: Cosmopolitan.

*10.

Physarum tenerum Rex, Proc. Acad. Phila. 42: 192 (1890).
(Fig. 2)
Specimen examined: 95SR-8, on dead wood, Regent, coli. H. Murano & H. Sando, 16 XI 1995.
Distribution: Cosmopolitan.
The specimen is similar to Physarum viride (Bull.) Pers. var. aurantium(Bull.) A. Lister in its long stalk and color, but differs in its limy stalk androunded lime nodes (Figs. 2B, 2C) . It also differs from another similar species P.
fiavicomum Berk. in its pale yellow limy stalk, rounded lime nodes and less netted
capillitium.
Acknowledgements
We are deeply grateful to Mr. G. M. SHANKERDAS, father of Mr. K .
SHANKERDAS, Honorary Consul of the Consulate of Japan, Sierra Leone, for hiswholehearted cooperation. We thank to Mr. H. M. JAMES, Commissioner of theConsulate of Japan, for making thoughtful arrangements for our research inSierra Leone.
References
Ing, B., 1967. Myxomycetes from Sierra Leone. Trans. Br. Myc. Soc. 50: 549- 553.
Rammeloo, J., 1979. Hemitrichia rubrobrunnea , a new Myxomycete from Sierra Leone. Bull. Jard.
Bot. Natl. Belg. 48: 383- 386.