| Biatora toensbergii | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Lecanorales |
| Family: | Ramalinaceae |
| Genus: | Biatora |
| Species: | B. toensbergii |
| Binomial name | |
| Biatora toensbergii Holien & Printzen (1995) | |
Biatora toensbergii is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Ramalinaceae. It is found in Norway and northwestern North America.
The lichen was formally described as a new species in 1995 by the lichenologists Håkon Holien and Christian Printzen. The type specimen was collected by the Norwegian lichenologist Tor Tønsberg in 1981, north of Bjørktjørnane (Nord-Trøndelag, Norway) at an elevation of 210–220 m (690–720 ft); it was found growing on Alnus incana in a south-facing ravine. The species epithet honours the collector, Tønsberg. [1]
Molecular phylogenetics analysis suggests that Biatora pycnidiata is a closely related species, and that these two species form a clade that has a sister group relationship with a clade containing Biatora efflorescens and Biatora helvola . [2]
The thallus of Biatora toensbergii is effuse , meaning it spreads outwards and can reach up to 4.5 cm (1.8 in) in diameter. It has a cracked, areolate appearance, resembling a network of small cracks, with the individual areoles (crust-like sections) measuring between 0.2 and 0.6 mm across. These areoles are generally flat or have an irregularly wrinkled surface. The coloration of the thallus ranges from white to light or medium gray, and it can occasionally have a greenish or brownish tint. The surface is typically matte. [3]
In a cross-section, the thallus has a height of 70–130 μm, though it can occasionally reach up to 300 μm. Notably, Biatora toensbergii lacks a medulla, which is the inner layer found in many lichens. The algal layer , which houses the symbiotic algae (specifically of the trebouxioid type), is 60–100 μm high, but can sometimes extend to 270 μm. The cortical layer, the outermost layer, is colorless and often includes bark fragments, measuring 5–35 μm in thickness. [3]
The reproductive structures, known as apothecia, are rounded or irregularly shaped and can appear either singly or in groups. They are sessile , meaning they sit directly on the substrate without a stalk, and have a constricted base. The average diameter of the apothecia is 0.40–0.65 mm, but they can reach up to 1.15 mm if tuberculate (having small, wart-like projections). The disc of the apothecia is typically orange to red-brown, rarely light ochre, and is weakly to moderately convex, lacking a powdery coating ( epruinose ). The margin of the apothecia is lighter in color than the disc and becomes less prominent over time. [3]
Internally, the exciple (the outer tissue layer surrounding the apothecium) is colorless to yellowish or orange-brown, especially near the hymenium (the fertile, spore-bearing tissue). The exciple is composed of radiating, weakly branched and anastomosing (interconnecting) hyphae. The hypothecium , located below the hymenium, is 35–150 μm high and is colorless to pale orange-brown, often with a pinkish hue. The subhymenium , directly beneath the hymenium, is 30–65 μm high and slightly darker than the hypothecium. The hymenium itself is 45–60 μm high and colorless. [3]
The paraphyses, which are sterile filaments among the asci (spore-producing cells), are simple or weakly branched. The asci of Biatora toensbergii are of the Biatora type, containing 8 spores and measuring 30–44 μm by 8–11 μm. The ascospores are colorless, simple (occasionally with one to three septa), and measure 10.0–16.4 μm by 3.5–4.7 μm, with a perispore (outer spore wall) about 0.5 μm thick. [3]
Chemical spot tests on the thallus reveal it is negative for C and K, but positive for P (paraphenylenediamine), which turns orange-red. Thin-layer chromatography identifies the presence of argopsin and traces of norargopsin in its chemical composition. Pycnidia , which are asexual reproductive structures, have not been observed in North American specimens. [3]
Biatora toensbergii is found growing on various host trees, including subalpine fir ( Abies lasiocarpa ), other fir species ( Abies spp.), several species of alder ( Alnus spp.) such as red alder ( A. rubra ) and Sitka alder ( A. sinuata ), as well as on poplar ( Populus sp.) and blueberry ( Vaccinium sp.). It grows at elevations ranging from sea level up to approximately 1,500 m (4,900 ft). [3]
This lichen species inhabits coniferous forests, particularly those dominated by fir (Abies) or hemlock (Tsuga) trees, as well as in stands of red alder (Alnus rubra). Biatora toensbergii is part of the "Trøndelag phytogeographical element", a term coined by Holien and Tønsberg to describe species that are primarily or exclusively found in the humid coastal forests of central Norway. In its native regions of Norway and western North America, Biatora toensbergii commonly grows on gray alder (Alnus incana) in Norway and red alder (A. rubra) in western North America. [3]
Biatora is a genus of lichens in the family Ramalinaceae. First described in 1817, the genus consists of crustose and squamulose lichens with green algal photobionts, biatorine apothecia, colorless, simple to 3-septate ascospores, and bacilliform pycnospores. According to the Dictionary of the Fungi, the genus contains 42 species that are widely distributed in temperate areas.
Biatora pacifica is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Ramalinaceae. It is found in Russia, Japan, and South Korea, where it grows along the Pacific coast. It inhabits the bark of a variety of coniferous and deciduous plants.
Biatora pontica is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), leprose lichen in the family Ramalinaceae. It is a widely distributed species, having been recorded in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America.
Cerothallia subluteoalba is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. Found in Australia, it was described as a new species in 2009. This species is distinguished by its numerous bright yellow to soft yellow-orange apothecia, tiny spores with slim dividers (septa), and a barely distinguishable thallus that either fades away or grows inside its host.
Sirenophila maccarthyi is a species of corticolous/lignicolous, crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It has a thallus that is whitish or greyish, often inconspicuous and not always continuous, which can appear darker or dirty grey near its numerous, clustered apothecia. Sirenophila maccarthyi is distributed across regions including Western Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, and New Zealand, in both coastal and inland habitats. It typically grows on the bark and dead wood of a wide range of trees and shrubs such as Acacia sophorae, Araucaria excelsa, and various Eucalyptus species.
Megalospora austropacifica is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Megalosporaceae. It is found on the islands of Taveuni and Viti Levu in Fiji. It has a yellowish grey to whitish grey, glossy thallus that is thick and may appear slightly wrinkled or smooth, often with irregular cracks and small papillae containing conidiomata, but lacking isidia and soredia. Its apothecia are circular, up to 4.5 mm in diameter, with the disc evolving from concave to slightly convex and coloured from orange-brown to red-brown, surrounded by a thick, prominent margin.
Caloplaca patagoniensis is a species of lignicolous (wood-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is found in Chile. It forms small thallus patches, with distinctive areoles that change from whitish or greyish-yellow to deep orange or brownish-orange, often covered by a bright orange blastidious mass. Its fruiting bodies (apothecia) are dark reddish-orange and initially immersed in the substrate, while its spores are ellipsoid to elongated, and the species contains parietin, turning purple when exposed to a potassium hydroxide solution.
Tetramelas gariwerdensis is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Physciaceae, described in 2020. It is found in the Grampian Mountains in western Victoria, Australia.
Buellia eldridgei is a rare species of terricolous (ground-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Caliciaceae, known to occur only in Queensland, Australia.
Buellia lordhowensis is a little-known saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen species in the family Caliciaceae, first described in 2020. It is only known to occur on Lord Howe Island, Australia.
Buellia phillipensis is a little-known species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Caliciaceae, described in 2020. It is only known to occur on Phillip Island in the Southwest Pacific.
Amandinea pilbarensis is a little-known species of crustose lichen in the family Physciaceae, First described in 2020, it is found in Australia. It is similar to Amandinea polyxanthonica, but can be distinguished by its smaller ascospores and the presence of calcium oxalate and thiophanic acid in the medulla.
Flavoplaca oasis is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is widely distributed across Europe, and has been reported in Western Asia, China, and North Africa.
Elixjohnia jackelixii is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is found in Australia and New Zealand. The lichen is characterised by its unique multilayered appearance with outer sterile rings that are brownish or greenish-yellow and inner areoles that are whitish, yellowish, or greyish, often cracked to reveal the medulla underneath. Its fruiting bodies, or apothecia, are typically attached directly to the thallus and vary in colour and shape.
Myochroidea is a genus of lichen-forming fungi of uncertain familial placement in the order Lecanorales. It has four species of grey or brown-grey crustose lichens.
Melanotopelia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Graphidaceae. It has four species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichens. This genus includes species characterised by dark pigmentation in their exciple, non-amyloid ascospores, and specific secondary metabolites.
Sclerococcum toensbergii is a species of lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling) fungus in the family Sclerococcaceae. It is known from only a couple of collections made in the northwestern United States, and a collection in France. In the United States, it has been recorded on the bark-dwelling lichens Megalaria pulverea and Pertusaria carneopallida, while in France, it was found growing on Caloplaca cerina.
Arthonia toensbergii is a species of lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling) fungus in the family Arthoniaceae. It occurs in old-growth boreal rainforests in Norway, where it parasitises the lichen Mycoblastus affinis growing on trunks and branches of Norway spruce.
Lecidea toensbergii is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Lecideaceae. Described as a new species in 2018, it has been documented from several locations in Norway and a single location in Sweden, where it grows in rocky alpine environments.
Acarospora toensbergii is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Acarosporaceae. Known only from the Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska, it was described as a new species in 2017 by the lichenologists Kerry Knudsen and Jana Kocourková. The species epithet honors the Norwegian lichenologist Tor Tønsberg, who collected the type specimen from a deglaciated alluvial terrace in 2015.