Barbuzano-León Z., Negrín R., Pérez-Vargas I., Quijada L.
Vol. 17 (3) – 19 octobre 2025
doi: 10.25664/art-0417
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Abstract: Arachnopeziza is a genus described by Fuckel in the late 19th century, belonging to the family Arachnopezizaceae (Helotiales). The number of species is uncertain. Arachnopeziza has four known species in the Canary Islands, and they are distributed across five islands, restricted to the laurel and pine forest. No recent studies of the genus have been done in the archipelago or in the Macaronesian region. In this work, vital taxonomy is applied for the first time to study the morphology and biometry of the genus in the archipelago. The presence of three previously cited species (Arachnopeziza aurata, A. aurelia, and A. zonulata) is confirmed. Chorological novelties include Arachnopeziza obtusipila as a new record for the Canary Islands, and Arachnopeziza aurelia, which is cited for the first time in Tenerife island.
The family Arachnopezizaceae (Helotiales), as circumscribed by Hosoya et al. in Baral (2015), is macroscopically characterized by its tiny sessile apothecia with bright colours, hairy margin, seated on a conspicuous subiculum (a spider web-like hyphal mat covering the substrate) with thick-walled and warted hyphae. The family comprises five genera […]