Caloplaca haematites

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Caloplaca haematites
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Lecanoromycetes
Order: Teloschistales
Family: Teloschistaceae
Genus: Caloplaca
Species:
C. haematites
Binomial name
Caloplaca haematites
(Chaub. ex St.-Amans) Zwackh (1862)
Synonyms [1]
List
  • Blastenia haematites(Chaub. ex St.-Amans) B.de Lesd.
  • Callopisma haematites(Chaub. ex St.-Amans) A.Massal.
  • Callopisma haematites(Chaub.)
  • Caloplaca cerina var. haematites(Chaub. ex St.-Amans) H.Olivier
  • Lecanora haematitesChaub.
  • Lecanora haematitesChaub. ex St.-Amans
  • Lecidea cerina f. haematites(Chaub. ex St.-Amans) Hue
  • Lecidea cerina var. haematites(Chaub. ex St.-Amans) Schaer.
  • Parmelia cerina var. haematites(Chaub. ex St.-Amans) Fr.
  • Placodium haematites(Chaub. ex St.-Amans) A.L.Sm.
  • Placodium haematites(Chaub. ex St.-Amans) Anzi

Caloplaca haematites is a species of lichen belonging to the family Teloschistaceae. It has mainly been reported from Europe but is also found in other parts of the world. [1] It was reported in the UK media in 2011 because it was thought to have been extinct in Britain, but was rediscovered after 122 years. [2]

Contents

Caloplaca haematites grows as an epiphyte on trees. A study on Kos Island reported Caloplaca haematites from the trunks of Melia azedarach and Robinia pseudacacia trees where it grows along other the other lichens Catillaria nigroclavata , Rinodina colobina and Rinodina exigua . [3]

Description

Caloplaca haematites is a crustose lichen characterised by its distinctive ash-grey to dark blue-grey thallus (the main body of the lichen). The thallus appears as a continuous layer that may be smooth, wrinkled, or divided into small, convex sections called areolae . A distinct feature is its indigo-blue hypothallus , which is the underlying layer of fungal tissue. When tested with potassium hydroxide solution (the K spot test), the thallus shows a faint purple reaction, which helps in chemical identification. [4]

The reproductive structures, called apothecia, are typically abundant and clustered toward the centre of the thallus. These apothecia can reach up to 0.75 mm in diameter and develop from a concave shape to a flat surface. They are distinctively deep blood-red or rust-red in colour. Each apothecium has a proper margin (inner edge) that matches the colour of the disc , and a persistent blue-grey thalline margin (outer edge) with a smooth, entire border. [4]

The internal reproductive layer (hymenium) measures 80 micrometre (μm) in height. Within this layer are paraphyses—sterile filaments that rarely branch and are barely club-shaped but have cap-like ends, with the terminal cell measuring 3–4 μm thick. The spore-producing sacs (asci) are oblong and club-shaped, measuring 70–75 by 10–12 μm. The spores themselves are broadly ellipsoid, measuring 11–18 by 6–11 μm, with a dividing wall (septum) that spans between one-third to one-half of the spore's length. [4]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Caloplaca haematites". Global Biodiversity Information Facility . Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  2. ↑ "'Lost' lichen found after over 100 years near Andover". BBC News. 13 August 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  3. ↑ Christiansen, Steen N. (2022). "Epiphytic lichens from towns and villages in Greece" (PDF). Parnassiana Archives. 10: 31–37.
  4. 1 2 3 Wade, A.E. (1965). "The genus Caloplaca Th. Fr. in the British Isles". The Lichenologist. 3 (1): 1–28. doi:10.1017/S0024282965000038.
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