| Leprocaulon coriense | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Leprocaulales |
| Family: | Leprocaulaceae |
| Genus: | Leprocaulon |
| Species: | L. coriense |
| Binomial name | |
| Leprocaulon coriense (Hue) Lendemer & B.P.Hodk. (2013) | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
| |
Leprocaulon coriense is a species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. [2] It is found in Asia and Australia where it grows on various substrates, including rock, wood, bark, mosses and soil.
The species was first described as Crocynia coriensis by Auguste-Marie Hue in 1924. [3] It was later transferred to Lecanora by Jack Laundon in 2003, [4] and then to Lepraria by Harrie Sipman in 2004. [5] The type material was collected in South Korea, with an isotype housed at the Kyoto University herbarium (KYO). [6] The taxon was reclassified to the genus Leprocaulon in 2013 as a part of a larger restructuring of leprose genera. [7]
This lichen forms a powdery to membranous crust with clearly defined edges. The margins feature distinctive lobes that are either obscure or, more commonly, well-developed, measuring 0.5–2 mm wide and having raised rims. It has a thin to medium-thick white medulla, and sometimes develops a thin, brown to black base layer ( hypothallus ). The surface may sometimes appear smooth in places where soredia are sparse, particularly near the margins. The reproductive structures consist of fine to coarse powder-like granules (soredia) up to 300 μm in diameter, which usually lack projecting threads (hyphae). [6]
Three chemical variants have been identified. The most common contains usnic acid, zeorin, and protodehydroconstipatic and constipatic acids (in major to minor amounts), with isousnic acid and atranorin sometimes present in trace amounts. Other variants contain similar compounds but may also include argopsin, norargopsin, or caloploicin in varying amounts. Expected results for standard chemical spot tests are K−, C−, KC−, and Pd−. [6]
Lepraria coriensis grows on various substrates including rock (mostly siliceous), wood, bark, mosses and soil. It is typically found in shaded and sheltered places. The species has been recorded from Asia (India, South Korea), and Australia, primarily in tropical to subtropical regions. [6]
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.
Leprocaulon is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Leprocaulaceae. Members of the genus Leprocaulon are commonly called mealy lichens.
Lepraria incana is a species of dust lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. First described scientifically by Johann Jacob Dillenius in 1741, and then formally by Carl Linnaeus in 1753, it is the type species of the genus Lepraria. The thallus of this species is green to greyish-green, and powdery – as if made of tiny granules. These granules are soredia, which are asexual reproductive structures. Like most members of genus Lepraria, the lichen has few distinguishing features, lacking both a medulla and sexual reproductive structures (apothecia). Chemically, the lichen is characterised by the presence of the secondary chemicals known as divaricatic acid and zeorin.
Lepraria caesioalba is a widely distributed species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae.
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.
Leprocaulon adhaerens is a species of leprose lichen in the family Leprocaulaceae, found in North America. It was originally described in 2007 as Lepraria adhaerens and later transferred to the genus Leprocaulon in 2013 based on molecular and morphological studies. The lichen forms a granular crust that adheres tightly to both the substrate and itself, often growing over mosses and other lichens. It is chemically distinct due to its production of pannarin, zeorin, and several minor secondary metabolites. The species is known from coastal southern California, Pennsylvania, and Missouri, though its distribution may be more extensive than currently documented.
Lepraria crassissima is a species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. It occurs in Australia and Europe, when it grows on rocks and on mosses growing on rocks.
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 friabilis is a species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. It has a disjunct distribution in the southeastern United States and southern California, where it grows exclusively on coniferous bark in humid environments such as swamps and stream valleys.
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 goughensis is a little-known species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. It is only known to occur on Gough Island in the south Atlantic Ocean.
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 impossibilis is a species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. It forms a powdery to membranous thallus with a well-defined margin and distinctive secondary metabolites, including lecanoric acid and pannaric acid 6-methylester. The species is morphologically similar to Lepraria cupressicola and L. vouauxii but can be distinguished by its chemical composition. Lepraria impossibilis grows on tree bark, mosses, and soil-covered rocks, occurring in forested and open habitats across South and Central America, including El Salvador, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru, as well as in Iran.
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 leuckertiana is a species of leprose lichen in the family Stereocaulaceae. It occurs in Europe, North Africa, and South America, where it grows on bark and occasionally on soil in humid, open, well-lit places.
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.