Anaptychia ethiopica

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Anaptychia ethiopica
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Lecanoromycetes
Order: Caliciales
Family: Physciaceae
Genus: Anaptychia
Species:
A. ethiopica
Binomial name
Anaptychia ethiopica
Swinscow & Krog (1976)

Anaptychia ethiopica is a species of lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. Found in East Africa, China, and Russia, it was formally described as a new species in 1976 by lichenologists Thomas Douglas Victor Swinscow and Hildur Krog. The type specimen was collected from Mount Bwahit (Begemder, Ethiopia), where it was found growing on moss. [1]

Contents

Description

The lichen has a thallus that ranges in colour from brown to grey and forms an irregular mat loosely attached to its substrate . The lobes of the lichen are separate from each other and can be straight or slightly wedge-shaped, with both long and short side lobes. The upper part of the thallus has an uneven texture, with the lower part sometimes with vein -like ridges. The underside of the thallus is light-coloured and not covered by a protective layer. Notable features include soralia, which are structures that house soredia (reproductive propagules) and are mainly found at or near the tips of the lobes, but occasionally further back on the main body. The soredia themselves are grain-like in appearance. [1]

This lichen bears similarities to some forms of Anaptychia ciliaris , particularly those found on exposed rocks. It can be viewed as the sorediate version of that species. Its colour is typically greyish-brown, with occasional pinkish hues and can even appear almost black. Most of its lobes are covered in a fine, hair-like layer, giving them a frosty look. The underside ranges from white to pale brown, with thickened edges and sporadic vein-like ridges descending from the underside. The soralia are hollowed-out but can be full of soredia, overflowing in some cases. Anaptychia ethiopica does not contain any lichen products detectable using thin-layer chromatography. [1]

Examining the structure more closely, the lobes have a thickness ranging from 150 to 300  μm, and they exhibit variation across different parts. In the cortex , or outer layer, a few distinct zones can be observed. Starting from the outside, there is a thin layer of colourless fungal filaments (hyphae) followed by a brown-tinted main cortical layer, approximately 5–15 μm thick. Tomentum , the hairy covering, is present on both the upper and lower surfaces, and the filaments are 10–30 μm long with rough walls. This cortex surrounds the sides of the lobes, extending to the underside in several places. Within the medulla, or inner layer, the algal cells lie amidst loosely arranged fungal threads. Most of the thallus underside consists of web-like fibres. [1]

Habitat and distribution

Anaptychia ethiopica was first described from East Africa, where it grows on rocks, on bryophytes, and plant debris. There, the lichen is only found in alpine zones, above elevations of 3,500 m (11,500 ft). [2] In 1999, the lichen was recorded from Xinjiang, China, at an altitude of about 2,400 m (7,900 ft). [3] A decade later in 2009, it was reported to occur in the Russian Arctic, where it was found growing on rocks in tundra in a low-altitude region in the Byrranga Mountains. These Russian specimens were being infected by the lichenicolous fungus Phaeosporobolus alpinus . [4]

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<i>Punctelia bolliana</i> Species of lichen

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<i>Punctelia perreticulata</i> Species of lichen

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<i>Punctelia graminicola</i> Species of lichen

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<i>Punctelia borreri</i> Species of lichen

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<i>Parmelia barrenoae</i> Species of lichen

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<i>Solorina crocea</i> Species of lichen

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Pyxine katendei is a species of corticolous (rock-dwelling), foliose lichen in the family Caliciaceae. Found in East Africa, it was scientifically described as a new species in 1975 by lichenologists Dougal Swinscow and Hildur Krog. The lichen has a whitish to pale grey thallus that is tightly appressed to its substrate. The lobes comprising the thallus are somewhat convex; they lack pseudocyphellae, and have sparse pruina. The thallus underside is black; the internal medulla is white. The lichen contains triterpenoid compounds as well as lichexanthone; the latter substance causes the lichen to fluoresce when lit with a long-wavelength UV light.

Pyxine lilacina is a rare species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), foliose lichen in the family Caliciaceae. Found in East Africa, it was scientifically described as a new species in 1975 by lichenologists Dougal Swinscow and Hildur Krog. The lichen has a brownish-grey to lilac-grey thallus that is tightly appressed to its substrate. The lobes comprising the thallus are flat, and have pseudocyphellae as well as patches of pruina. The thallus underside is black; the internal medulla is white. The lichen contains triterpenoid compounds as well as lichexanthone; the latter substance causes the lichen to fluoresce when lit with a long-wavelength UV light.

Parmotrema marcellianum is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. Found on the Galápagos Islands, it was formally described as a new species in 2019 by lichenologists Frank Bungartz and Adriano Spielmann. The type specimen was collected from Cerro Ventanas on Floreana Island at an altitude of 424 m (1,391 ft); there, it was found overgrowing pebbles on sun-, wind-, and rain-exposed ground. The species epithet honours the authors' colleague Marcelo Pinto Marcelli, "in recognition of his work on the lichen family Parmeliaceae".

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Dictyonema krogiae is a species of basidiolichen in the family Hygrophoraceae. It is found in Kenya, where it grows as an epiphyte on trees. It is often found in association with other lichens, such as Parmotrema, and bryophytes, such as Frullania. A main characteristic that distinguishes it from other closely related species is its clearly defined internal layers, including its contrasting dense photobiont layer and a loose lower cortex.

<i>Anaptychia ciliaris</i> Species of lichen

Anaptychia ciliaris is a species of fruticose lichen in the family Physciaceae. It is predominantly found in Northern Europe, with its range extending to European Russia, the Caucasus, Central and Southern Europe, the Canary Islands, and some parts of Asia. Initially mentioned in botanical literature by Italian botanist Fabio Colonna in 1606, the species was formally described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753, who highlighted its unique physical characteristics such as its grey colour, leafy form with linear fringe-like segments, and the presence of hair-like structures, or cilia. This lichen displays adaptability in its choice of substrates, predominantly growing on tree barks and less commonly on rocks.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Swinscow, T.D.V.; Krog, Hildur (1976). "The genera Anaptychia and Heterodermia in East Africa". The Lichenologist. 8 (2): 103–138. doi:10.1017/s0024282976000212. S2CID   85810241.
  2. Swinscow, Thomas Douglas Victor; Krog, Hildur (1988). Macrolichens of East Africa. London: British Museum (Natural History). p. 17. ISBN   978-0-565-01039-3.
  3. Chen, Jian-bin; Wang, Da-peng (1999). "The lichen family Physciaceae (Ascomycota) in China I. The genus Anaptychia". Mycotaxon. 73: 335–342.
  4. Zhurbenko, Mikhail (2009). "Lichenicolous fungi and lichens from the Holarctic. Part II". Opuscula Philolichenum. 7: 121–186 [146].