Krogia macrophylla

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Krogia macrophylla
Krogia macrophylla (10.3897-mycokeys.40.26025) Figure 4.jpg
A & B: Krogia macrophylla in the field; C: herbarium photograph of holotype. Scale bar=1 mm
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Lecanoromycetes
Order: Lecanorales
Family: Ramalinaceae
Genus: Krogia
Species:
K. macrophylla
Binomial name
Krogia macrophylla
Kistenich & Timdal (2018)

Krogia macrophylla is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichen in the family Ramalinaceae. [1] Found in New Caledonia, it was formally described as a new species in 2018. [2] It is distinguished from other Krogia species by its relatively larger squamules and the production of a chemical substance similar to boninic acid. The species grows predominantly on tree trunks in moist or wet tropical forests.

Contents

Taxonomy

Krogia macrophylla was identified and formally described in 2018 by lichenologists Sonja Kistenich and Einar Timdal. The specific epithet, macrophylla, draws reference to the lichen's notably large squamules, setting it apart from other species within genus Krogia . The type specimen was collected in New Caledonia's Mont Mou Nature Reserve (situated in the South Province), at an altitude of 1,162 m (3,812 ft). [2]

Description

The defining attribute of Krogia macrophylla is its greyish-green squamules , reaching up to 3 mm in width. These squamules are initially rounded, but later divide into lobes up to 1 mm wide. The squamules often overlap, standing upright even in their early growth phase, and display patches of purple spots. This species can occasionally produce isidia, simple or sparingly branched outgrowths attached marginally to the squamules. The apothecia are up to 1 mm in diameter, ranging from pale to medium brown, with the occasional presence of purple patches. Ascospores are arranged spirally in a spiral fashion in the ascus. They are filiform (threadlike) and curved, simple (i.e., without any internal partitions, or septa), and have dimensions of about 20–30 by 1  μm. [2]

This lichen's chemical profile features a major unknown compound bearing similarity to boninic acid, and trace amounts of additional substances. Purple patches display a reaction when tested with a solution of potassium hydroxide (K+), deepening to a bluish-black colour. [2]

This species shares a similar secondary chemistry to Krogia coralloides , although it lacks the boninic acid that features prominently in K. coralloides. Krogia coralloides also tends to form smaller, more linear lobes. [2]

Habitat and distribution

Krogia macrophylla has been documented in three distinct localities within New Caledonia, thriving predominantly on tree trunks in moist or wet tropical forests. The species shows a preference for shaded tree trunks that are usually dominated by epiphytic (plant-dwelling) bryophytes and/or leprarioid lichens. It is found in varying altitudes, from low-elevation rainforests to montane mist forests, all of which are based on ultramafic soils common in the southern part of Grand Terre, the main island of New Caledonia. [2]

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Crustospathula amazonica is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Ramalinaceae. Found in South America, it was formally described as a new species in 2014 by lichenologists André Aptroot, Marcela Cáceres, and Einar Timdal. The type specimen was collected by the first two authors from the Parque Natural Municipal de Porto Velho, where it was found growing on the smooth bark of a tree in a primary rainforest. It also occurs in French Guiana and Peru, and tends to grow in association with lichens of the genus Porina and with thelotremoid members of the family Graphidaceae. The lichen has a film-like, green thallus consisting of fine, aggregated granules; no prothallus is present. Soredia are whitish, roughly spherical, and occur at the tips of cartilaginous stalks up to 3 mm tall.

Physcidia striata is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), microfoliose lichen in the family Ramalinaceae. Found in South America, it was formally described as a new species in 2014 by lichenologists André Aptroot, Marcela Cáceres, and Einar Timdal. The type specimen was collected by the first two authors from the Estação Ecológica de Cuniã (Rondônia), where it was found growing on the smooth bark of a tree in a primary rainforest. It also occurs in Peru. The thallus of the lichen is a loose mat of squamules (scales) without a hypothallus. Its lobes are smooth, flat, branched, and greyish-green, measuring 2–7 mm long by 0.5–1.5 mm wide. The species epithet striata refers to the faint longitudinal striations that are present on the lobe undersides. Isidia occur on the thallus surface; they are the same colour as the thallus, with dimensions of 0.3–0.7 mm long by 0.1–0.2 mm wide. When they are abraded, it reveals the whitish colour of the underlying medulla. The lichen contains divaricatic acid, a lichen product that is revealed with the use of thin-layer chromatography.

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Xylopsora canopeorum is a squamulose (scaly), corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichen species in the family Umbilicariaceae. Discovered in the canopies of Sequoia sempervirens in California, United States, it was formally described as new to science in 2018. It is endemic to the central coastal region of California, living within the unique ecosystems of Big Basin Redwoods State Park and Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve, areas known for their ancient coast redwood forests. The lichen evolves from a crust-like to scale-like form, developing into coral-like crusts as it matures, complemented by distinctive flat, black reproductive discs. This species has varying greyish-green to medium brown coloration and occasionally forms soralia, which release powdery reproductive propagules called soredia. Xylopsora canopeorum is distinguished from closely related species by its smaller, partly coral-like squamules (scales), the occurrence of soralia on its surface, and in some specimens, the presence of both thamnolic and friesiic acids within the thallus.

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References

  1. "Krogia macrophylla Kistenich & Timdal". Catalogue of Life . Species 2000: Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kistenich, Sonja; Rikkinen, Jouko K.; Thüs, Holger; Vairappan, Charles S.; Wolseley, Patricia A.; Timdal, Einar (2018). "Three new species of Krogia (Ramalinaceae, lichenised Ascomycota) from the Paleotropics". MycoKeys (40): 69–88. doi: 10.3897/mycokeys.40.26025 . PMC   6170524 . PMID   30294209.