Cyphellostereum indicum
Cyphellostereum indicum is a species of terricolous basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae. It forms small, white to cream, fan-shaped fruiting bodies on short stalks that grow from the soil surface. The species was discovered in Arunachal Pradesh in the eastern Himalayas and was described in 2023.
Taxonomy
The species was described in 2023 by Sanjeeva Nayaka and Ambikesh Debnath from collections made in Arunachal Pradesh, a biodiversity‑rich state in the eastern Himalayas.Description
The lichen forms solitary, fan‑shaped fruiting bodies that are white to cream and borne on a short stalk. Each fan is only a few millimetres across and grows directly from the soil surface.Microscopically, the fungal partner produces club‑shaped basidia measuring 16.7–20.1 × 2.5–5.5 μm and very small, smooth, thin‑walled basidiospores that are irregular to "pip‑shaped", measuring 3.18–4.9 × 2.06–2.9 μm. The photosynthetic partner is from the filamentous cyanobacterium genus Rhizonema, whose threads are 6–8 × 5.1–6.9 μm. Fungal hyphae loosely envelope each filament rather than forming a tight sheath, and they develop superficial haustoria. As in many others in the genus, clamp connections are absent.