| Lepraria caesioalba | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Lecanorales |
| Family: | Stereocaulaceae |
| Genus: | Lepraria |
| Species: | L. caesioalba |
| Binomial name | |
| Lepraria caesioalba (B.de Lesd.) J.R.Laundon (1992) | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
Lepraria caesioalba is a widely distributed species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. [2]
The species was first described as Crocynia caesioalba by Maurice Bouly de Lesdain in 1914, [3] and was later transferred to Lepraria by Jack Laundon in 1992. [4] The type specimen was collected in France and is housed at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (E), with additional topotype material at the Natural History Museum, London (BM), Geneva (GL), and Paris (PC). [5]
This lichen forms a granular crust that usually has defined edges but can sometimes appear diffuse. Small, obscure lobes may be present but lack raised rims. It has an inconspicuous white medulla and usually lacks a base layer ( hypothallus ), though rarely small patches of exposed medulla may be present. The reproductive structures consist of abundant coarse or variably sized granules (soredia), typically measuring 100–150 (sometimes up to 200) μm in diameter, which sometimes have short projecting threads (hyphae). These soredia frequently cluster into larger groups ( consoredia ) of 200–300 μm. [5]
The species shows considerable chemical variation, with several distinct variants. The most common form contains atranorin, fumarprotocetraric acid, protocetraric acid (in variable amounts), and either roccellic/angardianic or rangiformic acid. Another common variant contains atranorin, stictic acid complex, and similar fatty acids. A rarer form contains atranorin, psoromic acid, and roccellic/angardianic or rangiformic acid. Spot tests vary depending on the chemical variant but are typically: K− or + (yellow), C−, KC− or + (faint yellow), Pd+ (orange or red). [5]
Lepraria caesioalba typically grows on acidic rock (usually over mosses) and soil, rarely occurring on bark, epiphytic mosses and lichens. It is found in exposed places, mostly in cool climates, and becomes montane-alpine in tropical regions. The species has a wide distribution, having been recorded from Europe, North and South America, Asia, Australasia, Antarctica, and Greenland. [5]
Lepraria is a genus of leprose (powdery) crustose lichens that grows on its substrate like patches of granular, caked up, mealy dust grains. Members of the genus are commonly called dust lichens. The main vegetative body (thallus) is made of patches of soredia. There are no known mechanisms for sexual reproduction, yet members of the genus continue to speciate. Some species can form marginal lobes and appear squamulose. Because of the morphological simplicity of the thallus and the absence of sexual structures, the composition of lichen products are important characters to distinguish between similar species in Lepraria.
Lepraria torii is a species of corticolous and lignicolous, leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. It is found in northwestern North America.
Lepraria xerophila is a species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. Found in Europe and northwestern North America, it was formally described as a new species in 2004 by the Norwegian lichenologist Tor Tønsberg.
Lepraria bergensis is an uncommon crustose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. It occurs in Northern and Central Europe, where it grows on siliceous (silicon-rich) rock walls, particularly under small overhangs, and on mosses on vertical to slightly sloping rock surfaces. The lichen thallus forms as a pale bluish-grey crust-like growth on rocks and mosses. The lichen begins as small, rounded patches a few millimetres wide, which may eventually coalesce into larger areas exceeding 1 centimetre in diameter. The thallus has a powdery texture, consisting of minute granules known as soredia and consoredia, which facilitate the lichen's asexual reproduction. The chemical composition of Lepraria bergensis is distinguished by the presence of several secondary metabolites: atranorin, rangiformic acid or jackinic acid, trace amounts of their respective derivatives, and a variety of anthraquinones. These chemical components cause the lichen to fluoresce a dull yellow under long-wave ultraviolet light.
Lepraria atlantica is a species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. Described as a new species in 2001, the lichen occurs in Australia, Europe, and Greenland, where it typically grows over rocks and associated mosses.
Lepraria achariana is a species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. It occurs at high elevations in Bolivia.
Lepraria alpina is a species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. It is found in Europe, North and South America, Antarctica, and Greenland, where it typically grows on rocks and rock-dwelling mosses in cool habitats.
Lepraria celata is a species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. The powdery greyish-green lichen, described as a new species in 2006, occurs in eastern Europe.
Lepraria borealis is a species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae, found in cool climates across Northern Europe, northwestern North America, Greenland, and Antarctica. It primarily grows on acidic rock and moss-covered surfaces, occasionally occurring on soil or other lichens. The species forms a granular crust with abundant soredia and shows considerable chemical variation, typically containing atranorin and rangiformic acid.
Lepraria caesiella is a species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. It forms a thin, gray-blue powdery crust composed of granular aggregations and lacks a true cortex or lobes. The species is widespread throughout northeastern North America, occurring primarily on tree bark, especially hardwoods like oaks, though it can also be found on non-calcareous rocks in sheltered locations. It was formally described by Richard C. Harris in 2005 and is characterized by its production of atranorin, zeorin, and pallidic acid. phylogenetics studies have helped distinguish it from the morphologically similar L. harrisiana, which was previously considered part of the same species.
Leprocaulon coriense is a species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. It is found in Asia and Australia where it grows on various substrates, including rock, wood, bark, mosses and soil.
Lepraria cupressicola is a species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. It occurs in east and southeast Asia, where it grows on rocks, soil and bark in shaded, damp locations.
Lepraria diffusa is a species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. Originally described as Leproloma diffusum by Jack Laundon in 1989, it was reclassified into Lepraria in 2002. The lichen has a powdery thallus containing the secondary metabolite 4-oxypannaric acid 2-methylester. It grows on calcareous rocks and mosses in shaded areas across Asia, Europe, North America, and South America.
Lepraria eburnea is a widespread species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. It forms a powdery to cottony thallus that lacks clear boundaries and contains alectorialic acid as its main secondary metabolite. It grows on various substrates including rock, bark, and soil, showing a particular preference for calcareous materials in some regions. The lichen is found across Europe, North America, Australasia, and Greenland, occurring from sea level to alpine elevations, and is typically found in areas with high humidity. In North America, it is particularly abundant in the Great Lakes region and Maritime provinces of Canada, where it commonly grows as an epiphyte on tree bases in swampy areas.
Lepraria elobata is a species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. It occurs in Europe, North America, and Greenland. The bluish- to greenish-grey, powdery lichen grows on bark and sometimes on soil, wood, siliceous rock and mosses, usually in shady and humid habitats.
Lepraria gelida is a species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. It occurs in Greenland, Svalbard and the Russian Arctic islands, where it grows on soil, mosses and sometimes lichens, and rarely on bark.
Lepraria humida is a species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. Found in northern Europe and northeastern North America, it grows on siliceous rocks, often between mosses, typically on rain-sheltered damp surfaces.
Lepraria jackii is a species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae, described by Tor Tønsberg in 1992. It forms a powdery thallus with variable colouration, ranging from pale green to straw-coloured, and grows on bark, mosses, wood, and rock surfaces in humid, sheltered environments. The species is characterised by its abundant soredia and distinctive secondary metabolites, including atranorin. Lepraria jackii has been recorded across Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia, preferring acidic substrates.
Lepraria leprolomopsis is a little-known species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. It is found in Papua New Guinea.
Lepraria lobata is a species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. It is found in Australia, where it grows on bark, mosses on rock, and soil.