loetlemis

Loetlemis is a fictional genus of saprotrophic fungi used in speculative biology and worldbuilding. Within the imagined taxonomy, loetlemis is placed in the family Loetlemidaceae, order Agaricales, and is described as occurring in temperate forest litter and on decaying wood.

In the fictional framework, the genus comprises several small to medium-sized mushrooms with simple, inconspicuous fruiting bodies. Members are characterized by a convex to plane cap, pale to ochre coloration, adnate to slightly decurrent gills, and a short, slender stipe. The flesh is often pale and the odor mild or indistinct. The spores are typically small, smooth, and colorless under standard microscopy.

The commonly named species in this imagined genus include Loetlemis alba, Loetlemis lutea, and Loetlemis nigra. Loetlemis alba is described as having a pale cream cap, Loetlemis lutea a yellowish hue, and Loetlemis nigra a darker brown to blackish cap. In each case, fruiting bodies are reported to appear after cool, wet springs and during the early summer in the fictional temperate forests where they are found.

Ecology and role in the fictional ecosystem are described as minor decomposers that contribute to leaf litter breakdown and nutrient cycling. They are sometimes depicted as forming loose associations with litter-dwelling invertebrates, though without forming strict mycophagous relationships.

Etymology and history in the fiction state that the genus honors the fictional mycologist Leota M. Tlemis, who described the group in a 1982 monograph within the imagined scientific literature.