Caloplaca rinodinae-albae

Caloplaca rinodinae-albae
Conservation status
	; Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Ascomycota
Class:	Lecanoromycetes
Order:	Teloschistales
Family:	Teloschistaceae
Genus:	Caloplaca
Species:	C. rinodinae-albae
Binomial name
	Caloplaca rinodinae-albae; Poelt & Nimis (1987)

Last updated January 27, 2025

Caloplaca rinodinae-albae is a lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling) species of crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae, first described in 1987. This species is unique for its parasitic growth on the lichen Helmutiopsis alba . Characteristics of the lichen include its small, rounded, pale orange thalli and its ability to form larger patches through the confluence of individual thalli.

Taxonomy

The species was first formally described in 1987 by the lichenologists Josef Poelt and Pier Luigi Nimis, based on specimens collected in Sardinia. The type specimen was found at Isola dei Cavoli, near the southern part of Cape Carbonara, within the Province of Cagliari. The collection was made by the authors in July 1985, on north-facing cliffs of the area. It is distinguished from similar species by its small size, parasitic growth on Helmutiopsis alba (formerly in genus Rinodina ), the thick swollen cells in the paraphyses, and its broadly elliptical to spherical spores.^[2]

Description

The thallus of Caloplaca rinodinae-albae is small and rounded, measuring 5–8 mm in diameter. It is crustose, ranging from continuous to squamulose - areolate in texture, with some areolae slightly lobulate and measuring 0.2–0.5 mm in diameter. The apothecia (fruiting bodies) are sparsely distributed or clustered, typically up to 1 mm in diameter but can be smaller. They feature a thick and initially prominent margin with a plane, red-orange disc . The apothecia are lecanorine in form, meaning they have a thalline margin , and their medulla is mostly filled with photobiont cells. The cortex of the apothecia is thin and paraplectenchymatous , with cells up to 5 μm thick. The hymenium is about 70 μm high. The paraphyses are 1.5–2 μm thick at the base, with the last 2–3 terminal cells swelling to up to 7 μm. Each ascus contains eight broadly ellipsoid to spherical spores, measuring 9–15.5 by 7.5–9 μm, with the spherical spores being 7–8 μm.^[2]

Habitat and distribution

Caloplaca rinodinae-albae was first identified in Sardinia, Italy, specifically on the Isola dei Cavoli, near Capo Carbonara. It grows parasitically on Helmutiopsis alba, a host lichen, often in isolated patches suggesting obligate parasitism. This species coexists with other lichens such as Sanguineodiscus aractinus , Polyozosia salina , Tephromela atra , and Xanthoparmelia pulla .^[2] It has also been recorded from a coastal station near Santa Teresa Gallura in northern Sardinia.^[3] The area of occurrence of C. rinodinae-albae is estimated to be 0.432 km² (0.167 sq mi).^[1]

Conservation

In 2017, the conservation status of Caloplaca rinodinae-albae was assessed for the global IUCN Red List. It is considered a vulnerable species because it is at risk from accidental fire (owing to its small area of occurrence), tourism development, and increased erosion on Sardinia's coasts.^[1]

Related Research Articles

The Pertusariales are an order of fungi in the class Lecanoromycetes, comprising 8 families, 31 genera, and over 600 species, many of which form lichens. This diverse group is characterized by complex taxonomic history and ongoing phylogenetic revisions. Originally proposed by Maurice Choisy in 1949 and later formally published by the lichenologists David L. Hawksworth and Ove Eriksson in 1986, Pertusariales has undergone significant reclassification due to molecular phylogenetics studies. The order includes well-known genera such as Pertusaria and Ochrolechia, as well as families like Megasporaceae and Icmadophilaceae.

Caloplaca conranii is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. The lichen has a bright yellow thallus about 1–2 cm wide, featuring a thick texture with convex, pustule-like formations around the edges and occasionally forming clusters in the centre. Its apothecia are quite large and heavy, ranging from 0.4 to 1.5 mm in diameter, with a flat, dull orange or brownish-orange disc, and long, narrow ascospores.

Caloplaca filsonii is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It has a crust-like thallus that is uneven and warty around the edges and more distinctly wart-like in the centre, coloured in shades of grey and brownish-grey near its reproductive structures (apothecia), but lacking a developed prothallus.

Eilifdahlia sergeyana is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is endemic to Kangaroo Island in South Australia. The lichen thallus has an uneven and scaly texture, forming patches up to 40 mm wide in dull greenish-grey or brownish-grey. Its fruiting bodies (apothecia) are orange to yellow, with a biatorine structure, and range from 0.5 to 1 mm wide. These apothecia have a matte surface and a cup-shaped margin containing golden-yellow crystals. The paraphyses within are slender and branched, and the asci contain ellipsoid spores.

Caloplaca nothocitrina is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. Its thallus is up to 8 mm in diameter and deep yellow in colour. It comprises small dispersed areoles, occasional concave soralia, and circular apothecia with a bright yellow margin and a dull dark yellowish or brownish disc.

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.

Caloplaca ulleungensis is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is found in South Korea, particularly on Ulleungdo and Jeju Islands.

Caloplaca nothoholocarpa is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is found in Chile.

Flavoplaca austrocitrina is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is widely distributed in Europe, and has also been recorded in South America.

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.

Caloplaca lecanorocarpa is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. Found in Brazil, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by the lichenologists André Aptroot and Marcela Cáceres. It is named for its overall appearance to lichens in the Lecanora subfusca species complex.

Nevilleiella marchantii is a species of terricolous (ground-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. Found in Australia, it was formally described as a new species in 2007. The thallus of Nevilleiella marchantii spreads 1–3 cm wide, with distinctive, almost spherical, pustule-like formations that give it an appearance resembling a bunch of grapes. These formations vary in shape and colour from yellow-brown to orange-brown.

Caloplaca himalayana is a species of lignicolous (wood-dwelling) crustose lichen belonging to the family Teloschistaceae. Found in the Himalayas of India, it was described as new to science in 2009. The lichen has a yellowish thallus with rusty red apothecial discs.

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

Caloplaca lecapustulata is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. Found in Brazil, it was described as a new species in 2016.

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.

Acarospora stapfiana, the hoary cobblestone lichen, is a lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling) lichen species in the family Acarosporaceae. It is known for its parasitic relationship with members of the genus Caloplaca. The species has a unique life cycle in which it starts as a juvenile non-lichenised fungus before forming a fully lichenised thallus. It is found in Asia and North America, where it grows on calcareous rocks.

Transdrakea is a small genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It comprises two species of crustose lichens that grow on rocks. The genus is characterised by its poorly developed thallus, zeorine apothecia, and small ascospores with thin septa. Chemically, Transdrakea species contain anthraquinones, particularly parietin.

Flavoplaca citrina, the mealy firedot lichen, is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is a common species with a cosmopolitan distribution.

References

1 2 3 Ravera, S. (2017). "Caloplaca rinodinae-albae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T109418858A109418873. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T109418858A109418873.en .
1 2 3 Nimis, P.L.; Poelt, J. (1987). "The lichens and lichenicolous fungi of Sardinia (Italy)". Studia Geobotanica. 7 (S1): 72–73.
↑ Nimis, Pier Luigi (2016). The Lichens of Italy. A Second Annotated Catalogue. Trieste: Edizioni Università di Trieste. p. 119. ISBN 978-88-8303-755-9.

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[IUCN:_Caloplaca_rinodinae-albae-1] 1 2 3 Ravera, S. (2017). "Caloplaca rinodinae-albae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T109418858A109418873. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T109418858A109418873.en .

[Nimis_&_Poelt_1987-2] 1 2 3 Nimis, P.L.; Poelt, J. (1987). "The lichens and lichenicolous fungi of Sardinia (Italy)". Studia Geobotanica. 7 (S1): 72–73.

[Nimis_2016-3] Nimis, Pier Luigi (2016). The Lichens of Italy. A Second Annotated Catalogue. Trieste: Edizioni Università di Trieste. p. 119. ISBN 978-88-8303-755-9.

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