Astrothelium aurantiacocinereum

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Astrothelium aurantiacocinereum
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Dothideomycetes
Order: Trypetheliales
Family: Trypetheliaceae
Genus: Astrothelium
Species:
A. aurantiacocinereum
Binomial name
Astrothelium aurantiacocinereum
Lücking, Naksuwankul & Lumbsch (2016)

Astrothelium aurantiacocinereum is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Trypetheliaceae. [1] It occurs in New Caledonia.

Contents

Taxonomy

The lichen was formally described as a new species in 2016 by Robert Lücking, Khwanruan Naksuwankul, and H. Thorsten Lumbsch. The type specimen was collected by Naksuwankul and Lumbsch from Monts Dzumac (Dumbéa, Province Sud), at an altitude of 920 m (3,020 ft); there, in a relict montane forest, it was growing on bark. The species epithet alludes to the colour contrast between the orange pseudostromata and the grey thallus. [2]

Description

The lichen has a smooth to uneven, dark grey to brownish-grey thallus that covers areas of up to 10 cm (4 in). The photobiont partner of the lichen is in an endoperidermal layer (the inner of the two layers of the peridium), suggesting a low degree of lichenisation. The ascomata are in the form of perithecia, which occur in aggregated groups of 5–20 in pseudostromata. These structures are covered with a carbonised (blackened) layer that is topped by an orange pigment layer. Ascospores number eight per ascus and have a spindle-shaped ( fusiform ) to ellipsoid shape; their dimensions are 22–27 by 8–10  μm. [2]

The characteristics of the lichen that distinguish it from others in genus Astrothelium are the barely lichenized, grey thallus; and the distinctly pseudostromatic ascomata, with prominent to sessile pseudostromata, with an orange cover that strongly contrasts with thallus. [3] Astrothelium aeneum is somewhat similar in appearance, but this lookalike differs from A. aurantiacocinereum in the degree of lichenisation, the form of the pseudostromata, and the presence of pigment on the surface of the thallus. [2]

Related Research Articles

Astrothelium aeneoides is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Trypetheliaceae. It is found in Brazil, Guyana, and Puerto Rico, where it grows on the smooth bark of rainforest trees.

Astrothelium stromatofluorescens is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichen in the family Trypetheliaceae. It is only known to occur in a few locations in Brazil and Bolivia.

Astrothelium inspersogalbineum is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Trypetheliaceae. Found in Singapore, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by lichenologists André Aptroot and Gothamie Weerakoon. The type specimen was collected by the second author in a rainforest, where it was found growing on smooth bark. The lichen has a smooth and somewhat shiny, pale greenish-grey thallus with a cortex and a thin black prothallus line. It covers areas of up to 3 cm (1.2 in) in diameter, and does not induce gall formation in its host plant. A yellow to orange anthraquinone was the only lichen product detected in the collected specimens using thin-layer chromatography. A. inspersogalbineum also contains the compound lichexanthone, which causes the thallus to fluoresce yellow when lit with a long-wavelength UV light. The main characteristics of the lichen distinguishing it from others in Astrothelium are its inspersed hamathecium; its ascospores, with dimensions of 20–25 by 9–11 μm; and the grouping of its ascomata, which can fuse together to become irregularly confluent.

Astrothelium lucidostromum is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichen in the family Trypetheliaceae. Found in Guyana, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by Dutch lichenologist André Aptroot. The type specimen was collected by Harrie Sipman about 45 km (28 mi) south of Aishalton at an altitude of 230 m (750 ft); there, it was found in a savanna forest growing on smooth tree bark. The lichen has a smooth and somewhat shiny, pale yellowish-grey thallus with a cortex but lacking a prothallus, which covers areas of up to 7 cm (2.8 in) in diameter. The presence of the lichen does not induce the formation of galls in the host plant. The pseudostromata contains lichexanthone, a lichen product that causes that structure to fluoresce when lit with a long-wavelength UV light. The main characteristics of the lichen distinguishing it from others in Astrothelium are the UV+ pseudostroma; the fused ascomata; and the immersed pseudostroma that have a white cover. Astrothelium eustomuralis is a smiliar species, but in that species, lichexanthone only occurs in the ostiole, not the entire pseudostroma.

Astrothelium lucidothallinum is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Trypetheliaceae. Found in Guyana, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by Dutch lichenologist André Aptroot. The type specimen was collected about 30 km (19 mi) south of Aishalton at an altitude of 300 m (980 ft); there, it was found in a savanna growing on smooth tree bark. The lichen has a smooth and somewhat shiny, pale yellowish grey thallus with a cortex and a thin black prothallus line. It covers areas of up to 9 cm (3.5 in) in diameter. The thallus contains lichexanthone, a lichen product that causes it to fluoresce yellow when lit with a long-wavelength UV light. The combination of characteristics of the lichen that distinguish it from others in Astrothelium are: the presence of lichexanthone only in the thallus; the indistinctly pseudostromatic ascomata, with erumpent pseudostromata—whitish in colour but lacking a sharp outline; and the dimensions of the ascospores as well as their number per ascus (eight).

Astrothelium sexloculatum is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Trypetheliaceae. Found in Guyana and Papua New Guinea, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by Dutch lichenologist André Aptroot. The type specimen was collected by Harrie Sipman on the Dadadanawa ranch at an altitude of 120 m (390 ft); there, it was found growing on smooth tree bark in a savanna. The lichen has a smooth and somewhat shiny, pale yellowish-grey thallus with a cortex and a thin black prothallus line. It covers areas of up to 9 cm (3.5 in) in diameter. Both the thallus and the pseudostromata contain lichexanthone, a lichen product that causes these structures to fluoresce yellow when lit with a long-wavelength UV light. The combination of characteristics of the lichen that distinguish it from others in Astrothelium are the indistinctly pseudostromatic ascomata, with erumpent to prominent pseudostromata that are covered by thallus. The species epithet sexloculatum refers to the ascospores, which are divided into six chambers (locules) by five transverse septa.

Astrothelium perspersum is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Trypetheliaceae. Found in Gabon, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by lichenologists André Aptroot and Damien Ertz. It is one of the few Trypetheliaceae species known only from Africa. The type specimen was collected by the second author between the villages of Massaha and Batouala ; there, it was found in a rainforest growing on smooth tree bark. The lichen has a smooth and somewhat shiny, pale greenish-grey thallus with a cortex and a thin black prothallus line. It covers areas of up to 4 cm (1.6 in) in diameter. The presence of the lichen does not induce the formation of galls in the host plant. No lichen products were detected from collected specimens using thin-layer chromatography. The combination of characteristics of the lichen that distinguish it from others in Astrothelium are the dimensions of its ascospores ; and the arrangement and form of its ascomata—from irregular groups to pseudostromatic, with the pseudostromata erumpent, and white. Astrothelium perspersum is somewhat similar to A. scoria, but has larger ascospores than that species.

Astrothelium pseudodissimulum is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Trypetheliaceae. Found in Papua New Guinea, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by Dutch lichenologist André Aptroot. The type specimen was collected by Harrie Sipman in Brahman Mission at an altitude of 100 m (330 ft); there, it was found in a rainforest growing on smooth tree bark. The lichen has a smooth, pale yellowish-green thallus with a cortex but lacking a prothallus. It covers areas of up to 15 cm (6 in) in diameter. The only lichen product detected in collected samples of the lichen using thin-layer chromatography was an anthraquinone. The combination of characteristics of the lichen that distinguish it from others in Astrothelium are its inspersed hamathecium; pigment in the medulla that reacts K+ (red); and the pseudostromatic form of the ascomata, with whitish-coloured, erumpent to prominent pseudostromata.

Astrothelium neoinspersum is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Trypetheliaceae. Found in El Salvador, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by Dutch lichenologist André Aptroot. The type specimen was collected by Harrie Sipman from Montecristo National Park ; there, it was found in a rainforest growing on smooth tree bark. The lichen has a smooth and somewhat shiny, olive-green thallus with a cortex but without a prothallus. It covers areas of up to 5 cm (2 in) in diameter. The presence of the lichen does not induce the formation of galls in the host plant. The only lichen product detected from collected specimens using thin-layer chromatography was an anthraquinone compound. The combination of characteristics of the lichen that distinguish it from others in Astrothelium are the yellow pigment in the ascomata; the form of the ascomata ; and the arrangement of the ascomata. The bright yellow pseudostromata help distinguish Astrothelium neoinspersum from the otherwise similar A. aenascens, found in Papua New Guinea.

Astrothelium curvisporum is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Trypetheliaceae. Found in Brazil, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by lichenologists André Aptroot and Marcela Cáceres. The type specimen was collected by the authors in the Parque Natural Municipal de Porto Velho, in a primary rainforest. The lichen has a smooth and somewhat shiny, olive-green to olive-brown thallus that lacks a prothallus and covers areas of up to 5 cm (2 in) in diameter. The presence of the lichen does not induce the formation of galls in the host. The ascomata are more or less spherical (globose), measuring 0.8–1.2 mm in diameter, and typically occur in groups of 3 to 15, usually immersed in pseudostromata. The species epithet curvisporum refers to the curved ascospores, which have five septa that divide the spore into distinct compartments. The spores have a thick gelatinous layer that is 17–22 μm thick. No lichen products were detected in collected samples of the species using thin-layer chromatography. The characteristics that distinguish A. curvisporum from other members of Astrothelium include its grouped ascomata and its curved ascospores.

Astrothelium decemseptatum is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Trypetheliaceae. Found in Brazil, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by lichenologists André Aptroot and Marcela Cáceres. The type specimen was collected by the authors in the Sítio Ecológico Buriti on Lago Cujubim, in a disturbed rainforest. The lichen has a smooth and somewhat shiny, pale yellowish-grey thallus that lacks a prothallus and covers areas of up to 7 cm (2.8 in) in diameter. The ascomata are pear-shaped (pyriform) and typically occur in aggregated groups of two to five, usually immersed in the bark tissue. The species epithet decemseptatum refers to the ascospores, which usually have between nine and eleven septa that divide the spore into distinct compartments. Anthraquinone compounds were detected in collected samples of the lichen using thin-layer chromatography. The characteristics that distinguish it from other members of Astrothelium include its ascomata, which are solitary to irregularly confluent, immersed in large thallus verrucae, and have scattered, external, pink pigment, and an inspersed hamathecium; and the dimensions of the ascospores.

Astrothelium duplicatum is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Trypetheliaceae. Found in Brazil, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by lichenologists André Aptroot and Marcela Cáceres. The type specimen was collected by the authors in the Parque Natural Municipal de Porto Velho, where it was found growing on the smooth bark of a tree in a park near a rainforest, and on tree twigs in the forest. The lichen has a smooth and somewhat shiny, olive-green thallus surrounded by a black prothallus and covers areas of up to 5 cm (2 in) in diameter. The presence of the lichen does not induce the formation of galls in its host. The ascomata are roughly spherical and typically aggregate in groups of about five to fifty, usually immersed in the bark tissue as pseudostromata. Its ascospores are hyaline, spindle-shaped and measure 45–55 by 11–15 μm. The use of thin-layer chromatography on collected lichen samples revealed the presence of an anthraquinone compound, possibly parietin. The characteristics that distinguish Astrothelium duplicatum from other members of Astrothelium include the internal, yellow pigment of its ascomata; and the dimensions of its ascospores, which are about 3–4 times as long as they are broad. Astrothelium mesoduplex is similar in appearance, but that species lacks yellow to orange pseudostromata and has shorter ascospores.

Astrothelium eumultiseptatum is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Trypetheliaceae. Found in Brazil, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by lichenologists André Aptroot and Marcela Cáceres. The type specimen was collected by the authors in the Fazenda São Francisco, in a low-altitude primary rainforest. The lichen has a smooth and somewhat shiny, pale yellowish-grey thallus with a black prothallus line and covers areas of up to 7 cm (2.8 in) in diameter. The ascomata are pear-shaped (pyriform) and typically aggregate in groups of two to five, usually immersed in the bark tissue as pseudostromata. The ostioles of the ascomata contains lichexanthone, a lichen product that causes these structures to glow yellow when lit with a long-wavelength UV light. The main characteristic that distinguishes it from other members of Astrothelium are its ascospores, which measure 65–70 by 15–17 μm, and only have transverse septa.

Astrothelium eustomurale is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Trypetheliaceae. Found in Brazil, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by lichenologists André Aptroot and Marcela Cáceres. The type specimen was collected by the authors in the Parque Natural Municipal de Porto Velho, in a low-altitude primary rainforest. The lichen has a smooth and somewhat shiny, pale yellowish-grey thallus that lacks a prothallus and covers areas of up to 12 cm (4.7 in) in diameter. The presence of the lichen does not induce the formation of galls in the host. The ascomata are pear-shaped (pyriform) and typically occur in aggregates of two to five, usually immersed in the bark tissue under the pseudostromata and with a whitish-coloured tissue that contrasts with the surrounding thallus. Black pycnidia are abundant on the pseudostromata. The area around and including the ostiole of the ascomata contains lichexanthone, a lichen product that causes these areas to glow yellow when lit with a long-wavelength UV light. The characteristics that distinguish it from other members of Astrothelium include the UV+ yellow nature of the ostiole; and the fused, erumpent pseudostromatic ascomata that have a white cover contrasting it with the thallus colour.

Astrothelium carassense is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Trypetheliaceae. Found in Brazil, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by Robert Lücking, Matthew Nelsen, and Marcelo Marcelli. The type specimen was collected by the first author from the Santuário do Caraça, at an altitude between 1,300 and 1,400 m. The lichen has an uneven to bumpy, pale olive-yellow thallus that covers areas of up to 10 cm (4 in) in diameter. The pseudostromata are covered with an orange anthraquinone compound. The species epithet carassense refers to the type locality. The characteristics of the lichen that distinguish it from others in genus Astrothelium are its pseudostromatic ascomata, which are erumpent, with an orange cover; and the dimensions and form of its ascospores, which are muriform and measure 100–170 by 30–40 μm. Astrothelium purpurascens is somewhat similar in appearance to A. carassense, but it lacks pseudostromatic pigment and has slightly smaller ascospores.

Astrothelium cryptolucens is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Trypetheliaceae. Found in Panama, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by Robert Lücking, Matthew Nelsen, and Noris Salazar Allen. The type specimen was collected by the first author from the Altos de Campana National Park at an altitude of 500–600 m (1,600–2,000 ft); there, in a submontane rainforest, it was found growing on the bark of roadside trees. The lichen has an uneven to coarsely bumpy, olive-yellow thallus that covers areas of up to 10 cm (4 in) in diameter. The species epithet cryptolucens makes reference both to the habit of the immersed perithecia and the presence of lichexanthone. The characteristics of the lichen that distinguish it from others in genus Astrothelium are the finely and densely cracked pseudostromata that dominate the thallus, with dispersed thallus bumps; and the hardly visible ascomata that are completely immersed in pseudostromata. A. cryptolucens is somewhat similar to Astrothelium carrascoense, but that species does not have an inspersed hamathecium.

Astrothelium fijiense is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Trypetheliaceae. Found in Fiji, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by Robert Lücking, Khwanruan Naksuwankul, and Helge Thorsten Lumbsch. The type specimen was collected from Nakoba Levu at an altitude of 750 m (2,460 ft); there, it was found growing on bark on a steep slope in a secondary forest. The lichen has a smooth to uneven, light olive-yellow thallus that covers areas of up to 5 cm (2 in) in diameter. Both the thallus and the pseudostromata contain lichexanthone, a lichen product that causes these structures to fluoresce a yellow colour when lit with a long-wavelength UV light. The species epithet fijiense refers to the type locality. The characteristics of the lichen that distinguish it from others in genus Astrothelium are the distinctly pseudostromatic ascomata, and the presence of lichexanthone on the pseudostromata. Astrothelium cinereorosellum is somewhat similar, but that species has slightly longer ascospores and does not have lichexanthone on the pseudostromata.

Astrothelium leucosessile is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Trypetheliaceae. Found in Panama, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by Robert Lücking, Matthew Nelsen, and André Aptroot. The type specimen was collected by the first author from the Altos de Campana National Park at an altitude between 500 and 600 m ; there, in a submontane forest, it was found growing on the bark of roadside trees. The lichen has a smooth to uneven, light olive-grey thallus that covers areas of up to 5 cm (2 in), and has streaks of yellowish-white pruina. Both the thallus and the pseudostromata contain lichexanthone, which cause these structures to fluoresce yellow when lit with a long-wavelength UV light. The species epithet leucosessile refers to the whitish colour and sessile habit of the pseudostromata. The characteristics of the lichen that distinguish Astrothelium leucosessile from others in genus Astrothelium are its well delimited, whitish pseudostromata, which are prominent to sessile. Astrothelium phlyctaena is somewhat similar in appearance, but that species does not have conspicuous, sessile pseudostromata.

Astrothelium macrostomoides is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Trypetheliaceae. Found in Brazil, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by Robert Lücking, Matthew Nelsen, Michel Navarro Benatti. The type specimen was collected by the first author from the Santuário do Caraça at an altitude between 1,300 to 1,400 m ; there, in the Atlantic Forest biome, it was found growing on bark in a gallery forest along a river. The lichen has an uneven to coarsely bullate, olive-green thallus that covers areas of up to 7 cm (2.8 in). Ascomata are in the form of perithecia, which are arranged in aggregated groups of 5–10 in pseudostromata. The pseudostromata contain lichexanthone, which is a lichen product that causes these structures to fluoresce yellow when lit with a long-wavelength UV light. The species epithet macrostomoides alludes to the similarity of the lichen with Astrothelium macrostomum, from which it differs by having larger ascospores. The characteristics of the lichen that distinguish it from others in genus Astrothelium are the diffusely pseudostromatic ascomata with erumpent pseudostromata, covered by thallus, each with a single group of fused ascomata; and the dimensions and form of the ascospores, which measure 80–110 by 17–25 μm, and have from five to seven septa.

Astrothelium pictum is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Trypetheliaceae. Found in Brazil, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by Dutch lichenologist André Aptroot. The type specimen was collected by the author from the Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural Santuário Caraça at an altitude of 1,300 m (4,300 ft); there, in an Atlantic Forest habitat, it was found growing on smooth tree bark.

References

  1. "Astrothelium aurantiacocinereum Lücking, Naksuwankul & Lumbsch". Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life . Species 2000: Naturalis, Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 Lücking, Robert; Nelsen, Matthew P.; Aptroot, André; Benatti, Michel Navarro; Binh, Nguyen Quoc; Gueidan, Cecile; Gutiérrez, Martha Cecilia; Jungbluth, Patricia; Lumbsch, H. Thorsten; Marcelli, Marcelo P.; Moncada, Bibiana; Naksuwankul, Khwanruan; Orozco, Thelma; Salazar-Allen, Noris; Upreti, Dalip K. (2016). "A pot-pourri of new species of Trypetheliaceae resulting from molecular phylogenetic studies". The Lichenologist. 48 (6): 639–660. doi: 10.1017/S0024282916000475 . S2CID   89090696.
  3. Aptroot, André; Lücking, Robert (2016). "A revisionary synopsis of the Trypetheliaceae (Ascomycota: Trypetheliales)". The Lichenologist. 48 (6): 763–982. doi: 10.1017/s0024282916000487 . S2CID   89119724.