Acanthothecis verrucosa

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Acanthothecis verrucosa
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Lecanoromycetes
Order: Graphidales
Family: Graphidaceae
Genus: Acanthothecis
Species:
A. verrucosa
Binomial name
Acanthothecis verrucosa
S.Joshi, Upreti & Hur (2017)

Acanthothecis verrucosa is a species of lichen in the family Graphidaceae. [1] It is found in southern Vietnam, where it grows on smooth-barked trees in tropical forests. The lichen is characterized by its olive-green, verrucose thallus and the presence of psoromic acid. This species can easily be confused with similar lichens, but it can be distinguished by its specific morphological and chemical features.

Contents

Taxonomy

Acanthothecis verrucosa was first described by Santosh Joshi, Dalip Kumar Upreti, and Jae-Seoun Hur as a new species in 2017. The species name, verrucosa, is derived from the Latin word for "warts" and refers to the wart-like appearance of the lichen's thallus. The type specimen was collected from tree bark in Cát Tiên National Park, Vietnam, in December 2015. [2]

Description

This lichen features a hard, glossy thallus that is olive-green, green, or dark green, and forms large patches. Its cortex is 25–45  μm thick, and it hosts a Trentepohlia (green algal) photobiont . The medulla of the lichen is white and crystalline. [2]

The apothecia are irregular to shortly lirellate and labiate, with white labia that can be straight or internally folded. The disc is mostly concealed to slightly exposed and has a white pruinose surface. The ascospores are hyaline, ellipsoidal, and muriform , measuring 35–70 μm long and 15–20 μm wide. [2]

In terms of standard chemical spot tests, Acanthothecis verrucosa tests negative for K and C reactions, while showing a positive yellow reaction for PD. Psoromic and subpsoromic acids have been identified through thin-layer chromatography. [2]

Acanthothecis verrucosa is most similar to Acanthothecis consocians due to the production of psoromic acid. However, it differs in having muriform ascospores. Other species within the genus, such as A. nivalis and A. dialeuca , have different morphological and anatomical characteristics that separate them from A. verrucosa. The presence of psoromic acid, muriform ascospores, and the olive-green, verrucose thallus help to distinguish this species from similar lichens. [2]

Habitat and distribution

Acanthothecis verrucosa is native to the tropical forests of Cát Tiên National Park in southern Vietnam. It is commonly found growing in large patches on thick and relatively smooth-barked trees. The lichen often coexists with other graphidioid and thelotremoid species around the tree trunks. [2]

Related Research Articles

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Acanthothecis salazinica is a species of script lichen in the family Graphidaceae. Found in Panama, it was described as a new species in 2013 by Pieter van den Boom and Harrie J. Sipman. The type specimen was collected near Paraíso, Panamá Province, close to the botanical garden in the Summit Park. Here it was growing on the bark of a cultivated Parmentiera cereifera tree. The lichen contains the secondary chemical salazinic acid, for which it is named. Acanthothecis subclavulifera is quite similar in morphology, but it contains protocetraric acid rather than salazinic acid and it has a different ascospore structure.

Marcelaria benguelensis is a tropical species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) and crustose lichen in the family Trypetheliaceae. It is found in continental southeast Asia.

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Lecanora loekoesii is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Lecanoraceae. Found in South Korea, it was formally described as a new species in 2011 by Lei Lü, Yogesh Joshi, and Jae-Seoun Hur. The type specimen was collected on Mount Taebaek at an altitude of 910 m (2,990 ft); here it was found growing on oak bark. It is only known to occur at the type locality. The specific epithet loekoesii honours Hungarian lichenologist László Lőkös, who collected the type specimen.

Lecanora hafelliana is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Lecanoraceae. It is found in South Korea and in China, where it is fairly common on the bark of deciduous trees such as maple, birch, dogwood, and oak. The lichen was formally described as a new species in 2011 by Lei Lü, Yogesh Joshi, and Jae-Seoun Hur. The type specimen was collected by Hur on Mount Baekwoon at an elevation of 1,037 m (3,402 ft). In China, it was recorded growing on the bark of Korean pine. The lichen has a dull whitish to ash-grey crust-like thallus with a definite margin, but lacking a prothallus. Lecanora hafelliana contains several secondary compounds, including atranorin, zeorin, usnic acid, a complex of compounds related to stictic acid, and hafellic acid. Its specific epithet alludes to the presence of this latter compound.

Acanthothecis latispora is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichen in the family Graphidaceae. Found in Brazil, it was formally described as a new species in 2022 by Shirley Cunha Feuerstein and André da Silveira. The type specimen was collected by the first author from Turvo State Park. Here the lichen was growing on branches in open areas of the Atlantic Forest. It has a whitish to greenish thallus with a black prothallus. Its asci contain a single ascospore; the spores are densely muriform and measure 82–100 by 27–35 μm. The specific epithet refers to the wide spores. Acanthothecis latispora contains norstictic and stictic acids; these are lichen products that are detectable using thin-layer chromatography.

Acanthothecis megalospora is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichen in the family Graphidaceae. Found in Brazil, it was formally described as a new species in 2022 by Shirley Cunha Feuerstein and Robert Lücking. The type specimen was collected from a São Paulo farm near Itaguatins (Tocantins); here it was found growing on tree bark in cerrado. The lichen has a whitish grey thallus. Its asci contain a single, more or less rectangular ascospore with 15 to 17 transverse septa. The specific epithet refers to these large spores. Acanthothecis megalospora contains norstictic acid, connorstictic acid, and protocetraric acid, which are lichen products than can be detected using thin-layer chromatography.

Acanthothecis subfarinosa is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichen in the family Graphidaceae. Found in Brazil, it was formally described as a new species in 2022 by Shirley Cunha Feuerstein. The type specimen was collected from remnant cerrado in Campo Mourão (Paraná). The lichen has a greenish, cracked thallus lacking a cortex and lacking a prothallus. The asci contain 8 spores; the ascospores are hyaline, measuring 22–30 by 5 μm with 6 to 8 transverse septa. Acanthothecis subfarinosa contains norstictic acid, a lichen product that is detectable using thin-layer chromatography.

Acanthothecis submuriformis is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichen in the family Graphidaceae. Found in Brazil, it was formally described as a new species in 2022 by André Aptroot, Robert Lücking, and Marcela Eugenia da Silva M.Cáceres. The type specimen was collected from the Parque Natural Municipal ; here the lichen was found growing on tree bark in primary rainforest.

Thelotrema lueckingii is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) crustose lichen in the family Graphidaceae. Found in the laurel forests of Madeira, it was formally described as a new species in 2013 by Othmar Breuss. The species epithet honours German lichenologist Robert Lücking.

Diorygma archeri is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichen in the family Graphidaceae. Found in Vietnam, it was formally described as a new species in 2013 by Santosh Joshi and Jae-Seoun Hur. The type specimen was collected from Yok Đôn National Park at an altitude of about 760 m (2,490 ft). The species epithet honours Australian lichenologist Alan W. Archer.

Jocatoa is a fungal genus in the family Graphidaceae. It contains the single species Jocatoa agminalis, a corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen that can be found in dry forests and semi-arid regions throughout Colombia, Mexico, and the United States. The genus is characterized by its simple, thin paraphysis tips and the absence of an epithecium. Named in honor of the late Professor José Castillo Tovar for his contributions to Mexican mycology, Jocatoa is distinguishable from other superficially similar genera such as Diorygma and Glyphis based on its distinctive features, chemical composition, and molecular data.

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Fissurina coarctata is a species of script lichen in the family Graphidaceae. It is found in India, where it grows in tropical rainforests and moist deciduous forests. This corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichen is primarily found on exposed tree trunks along roadsides. Its thallus has a yellowish-brown to olive-green colour and has a thick, verrucose texture. The species was formally described as new to science in 2007 by Urmila Makhija and Bharati Adawadkar.

Fissurina karnatakensis is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) script lichen in the family Graphidaceae. Found in India, it was formally described as a new species in 2007 by Urmila Makhija and Bharati Adawadkar. It grows on tree trunks in exposed conditions along roadsides within moist forests, particularly in Karnataka, a state known for its many endemic lichen species.

Fissurina verrucosa is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) script lichen in the family Graphidaceae. Found in Karnataka, India, it was formally described as a new species in 2007 by Urmila Makhija and Bharati Adawadkar. This species is characterized by its yellowish-brown and slightly glossy appearance. Its thallus has a cracked, uneven, and verrucose texture.

Cruentotrema amazonum is a little-known species of script lichen in the family Graphidaceae. It is found in Brazil, Thailand, and Vietnam, where it grows in the understory of primary rainforests.

References

  1. "Acanthothecis verrucosa S. Joshi, Upreti & Hur". Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life . Species 2000: Naturalis, Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Joshi, Santosh; Upreti, Dalip K.; Thanh, Nguyen Thi; Nguyen, Anh Dong; Hur, Jae-Seoun (2017). "New and interesting species in the family Graphidaceae (Ascomycota: Ostropales) from Vietnam". The Lichenologist. 49 (3): 259–268. doi:10.1017/s0024282917000172. S2CID   90867403.