Bryobilimbia austrosaxicola

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Bryobilimbia austrosaxicola
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Lecanoromycetes
Order: Lecideales
Family: Lecideaceae
Genus: Bryobilimbia
Species:
B. austrosaxicola
Binomial name
Bryobilimbia austrosaxicola
Fryday & Coppins (2014)
Bryobilimbia austrosaxicola
Holotype: summit of Mount Azimuth on Campbell Island, New Zealand [1]

Bryobilimbia austrosaxicola is a species of crustose lichen within the family Lecideaceae. [2] This species is closely related to Bryobilimbia australis , distinguishable by its saxicolous (rock-dwelling) nature, presenting with a brown, rather than violaceous, epihymenium , and ascospores that have a single septum.

Contents

Taxonomy

The species was identified for the first time in New Zealand, specifically on Campbell Island, atop rock outcrops at the summit of Mount Azimuth, recorded at a height of 488 m (1,601 ft) on January 3, 1970, by Henry Imshaug. Alan Fryday and Brian Coppins formally described it as a new species in 2014. [1]

Bryobilimbia austrosaxicola is placed within the genus Bryobilimbia due to its similarities with B. australis and the presence of bacilliform (rod-shaped) conidia, a characteristic shared across the genus. Its differentiation from B. australis and other genus members is primarily through its saxicolous habit and consistently 1-septate ascospores. The suggestion to classify this taxon within the Lecidea hypnorum group came from Brian Coppins, hence his inclusion as an author of the species. [1]

Description

The lichen spreads over surfaces up to 5 cm across, forming a patchwork of pale grey, thin, angular areoles that are flat to slightly convex, each measuring between 0.2 and 0.3 mm. The core of the lichen, or medulla, does not produce a reaction with iodine. It has a primary photobiont of chlorococcoid nature, with cells measuring 5–9  μm in diameter, and a secondary photobiont that consists of small clumps of cyanobacteria, including both Stigonema , characterised by short, branched, yellow-brown filaments, and Gloeocapsa , noticeable for its groups of 2–4 cells within a reddish sheath. [1]

Apothecia (fruiting bodies) are common, black, and range from flat to convex, with a diameter of 1.0–1.5 mm. They are generally circular but can become angular when confluent. The hymenium, a tissue layer containing the spore-producing asci, is infused with a red-brown pigment, and paraphyses (filamentous structures among the asci) are sparse and simple . The asci themselves are cylindrical to clavate , housing hyaline (clear), 1-septate ascospores measuring 10–12 by 3.5–4.0 μm. [1]

Chemical analyses have not detected any secondary substances through thin-layer chromatography (TLC), and all standard chemical spot test reactions are negative. [1]

Habitat and distribution

This lichen's presence is only verified from three collections on Campbell Island, New Zealand, suggesting its rarity and specific habitat preference on mountainous sites. It tends to associate with a limited number of other species, including Placopsis sp. and Steinera radiata subsp. aucklandica. [1] In the 2018 edition of the Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous lichens and lichenicolous fungi, Bryobilimbia austrosaxicola appears for the first time, where it is given the status "island endemic". [3]

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Psora is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Psoraceae. Members of the genus are commonly called fishscale lichens. Lichens in the genus Psora generally have a squamulose thallus and anthraquinones in the hymenium. Photobiont partners of Psora lichens include members of the green algal genera Asterochloris, Chloroidium, Myrmecia, and Trebouxia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lecideaceae</span> Family of lichen-forming fungi

The Lecideaceae are a family of lichens in the order Lecideales. It contains about 30 genera about roughly 250 species. A major distinguishing characteristic of the family is the lecanoroid form of the fruiting bodies: typically circular, dark, and without a thalline margin. Most species in the family are lichenised with green algae, although a few species, scattered amongst several genera, are lichenicolous–they live on other lichens. Lecideaceae lichens tend to grow on rocks, wood, and soil. The largest genus in the family, Lecidea, was once a loosely circumscribed wastebasket taxon containing hundreds of morphologically similar species with generally crustose thalli, photobiont-free apothecial margins and translucent, single-celled ascospores. The overall taxonomy and classification within the family has been made more accurate with recent molecular phylogenetics studies.

<i>Rhizocarpon</i> Genus of lichens in the family Rhizocarpaceae

Rhizocarpon is a genus of crustose, saxicolous, lecideoid lichens in the family Rhizocarpaceae. The genus is common in arctic-alpine environments, but also occurs throughout temperate, subtropical, and even tropical regions. They are commonly known as map lichens because of the prothallus forming border-like bands between colonies in some species, like the common map lichen.

Phlyctis psoromica is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) crustose lichen in the family Phlyctidaceae. Native to New South Wales, Australia, it was described as new to science in 2011. This lichen is characterised by its whitish to pale blue-grey crustose thallus and distinctive secondary chemistry.

Porpidia seakensis is a species of crustose lichen in the family Lecideaceae. It is an endolithic species, meaning it grows inside the rocks, between the grains. Found only in Alaska, it was formally described as a new species in 2020 by British lichenologist Alan Fryday. The type specimen was collected in the Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, in Glacier Bay National Park. Here it was discovered growing on granitic rock in a woodland. The lichen is only known from this area, although it is locally common. Its preferred habitat is siliceous rocks and boulders in wooded areas that are open and well lit. The specific epithet seakensis uses the letters "seak" to refer to a standard abbreviation for southeast Alaska.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhizocarpales</span> Order of fungi

Rhizocarpales are an order of lichen-forming fungi in the subclass Lecanoromycetidae of the class Lecanoromycetes. It has two families, Rhizocarpaceae and Sporastatiaceae, which contain mostly crustose lichens.

Sclerococcum fissurinae is a species of lichenicolous fungus in the family Dactylosporaceae. Found in Alaska, it was formally described as a new species in 2020 by Sergio Pérez-Ortega. The type specimen was collected in the Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, just outside of Glacier Bay National Park. Here it was found growing on the script lichen species Fissurina insidiosa, which itself was growing on the bark of an alder tree. The specific epithet refers to its host.

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<i>Bacidina pycnidiata</i> Species of lichen

Bacidina pycnidiata is a species of crustose lichen in the family Ramalinaceae. It is widely distributed in Europe and North Asia. It is characterised by its whitish or cream-coloured pycnidia with long and ostiolar necks.

Catillaria gilbertii is a rare species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Catillariaceae. It is found in the Central Highlands of Scotland.

<i>Lecidea tessellata</i> Species of lichen

Lecidea tessellata is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Lecideaceae. It was formally described as a species in 1819 by German botanist Heinrich Flörke. In northern North America, it is common and widely distributed, growing on non-calcareous rocks. It also occurs in Afghanistan, China, Nepal, Europe, and Russian Asia. In India, it has been recorded only from the alpine Western Himalayas at an altitude of 3,450 m (11,320 ft). Its southern distribution extends to James Ross Island, where it is locally common.

Fulvophyton macrosporum is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Roccellographaceae. Found in the Seychelles, it was formally described as a new species in 2017 by lichenologists Damien Ertz and Paul Diederich. Its differentiation from the morphologically similar Sclerophyton madagascariense primarily hinges on its 10–14 septate (partitioned) ascospores and the existence of psoromic acid, while S. madagascariense typically contains 8–10-septate ascospores and features stictic acid. Fulvophyton macrosporum was first identified in Seychelles, in the Praslin National Park, situated southeast of Vallée de Mai. The species was discovered growing on trees between altitudes of 250–360 m (820–1,180 ft). Its species epithet macrosporum alludes to the relatively large ascospores that characterise the species.

Phlyctis monosperma is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Phlyctidaceae. It is characterised by its greyish-white, loose, granular thallus, single-spored asci, and distinctive chemical substances. The lichen is found in the subtropical evergreen forests of the Eastern Himalayas and Western Ghats of India, where it grows on rough tree bark in close association with plant-dwelling bryophytes at elevations above 2,000 m (6,600 ft). It also occurs in Sri Lanka.

Protothelenella is a genus of fungi in the family Protothelenellaceae. It contains 11 species, some of which form lichens. Protothelenella species have a crustose thallus with spherical to pear-shaped, dark brown to blackish perithecia. Microscopic characteristics of the genus include bitunicate asci with an amyloid tholus, and ascospores that are colourless and contain multiple internal partitions. Some species grow on acidic substrates including rocks, soil, bryophytes, plant detritus or rotten wood. Other species are lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling), growing on species of Solorina, Peltigera, Pseudocyphellaria, or Cladonia.

Schaereria porpidioides is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Schaereriaceae. It is found in the Falkland Islands.

Lecidea lygommella is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Lecideaceae. It spreads up to 7 cm wide with a thin thallus varying in colour from whitish and pale grey to rusty red-brown, featuring areolate surfaces with irregularly shaped areoles. Its fruiting bodies range from slightly embedded to sitting atop the thallus and black, flat to slightly convex apothecial discs. Unlike its lookalike Lecidea lygomma, L. lygommella does not produce any secondary chemicals. It is found in New South Wales and Victoria, Australia, where it grows on rocks in alpine areas.

Enterographa dokdoensis is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), script lichen in the family Roccellaceae. It occurs in South Korea. The lichen has a thallus that can cover areas up to 5–10 cm in diameter, with a smooth to roughened texture and a green-grey to mauve colour.

<i>Glaucomaria carpinea</i> Species of lichen

Glaucomaria carpinea is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Lecanoraceae. It is a widely distributed species.

<i>Pyrenodesmia variabilis</i> Species of lichen

Pyrenodesmia variabilis is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. Characteristics of the species include its dark, areolate thallus, and its dark, sessile (stalkless) apothecia. It occurs on nutrient-rich limestone surfaces in Northern Europe, North America, Central America, and Asia.

<i>Porpidinia</i> Genus of lichens

Porpidinia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Lecideaceae. It has two species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling) lichens. The type species of the genus, Porpidinia tumidula, thrives in a variety of settings from coastal to mountainous areas, primarily on lime-rich rocks, and is widely spread across southern to northern Europe, northern Africa, parts of Asia, and New Zealand. Meanwhile, Porpidinia brevispora is more regionally confined, found specifically in the Sikhote-Alin range in the Russian Far East, favouring carbonate rocks at lower altitudes.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Fryday, Alan M.; Hertel, Hannes (2014). "A contribution to the family Lecideaceae s. lat. (Lecanoromycetidae inc. sed. , lichenized Ascomycota) in the southern subpolar region; including eight new species and some revised generic circumscriptions". The Lichenologist. 46 (3): 389–412. doi:10.1017/S0024282913000704.
  2. "Bryobilimbia austrosaxicola Fryday & Coppins". Catalogue of Life . Species 2000: Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  3. de Lange, Peter; Dan, Blanchon; Knight, Allison; Elix, John; Lücking, Robert; Frogley, Kelly; Harris, Anna; Cooper, Jerry; Rolfe, Jeremy (2018). Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous lichens and lichenicolous fungi, 2018 (PDF) (Report). New Zealand Threat Classification Series 27. Wellington: Department of Conservation. p. 18.