A new species of Licea with capillitium provides new insights into the systematics of the myxomycete family Liceaceae.

A newly discovered Licea gorgona with a well-developed capillitium challenges existing taxonomy within the Liceaceae family.

• Why it matters: Understanding the diversity and evolutionary traits of myxomycetes is crucial for accurate classification and insights into their morphological evolution, which remains incomplete.
• What they did: The study involved examining sporocarps from Vietnam, describing morphological features, and conducting multigene phylogenetic analyses using 18S rRNA, cox1, 17S rDNA, and EF1α genes for 16 species.
• The result: Findings suggest the capillitium in Licea gorgona is a primitive trait, prompting a taxonomic revision to include species with well-developed capillitium, though further molecular data are needed for definitive classification.