| Nephroma flavorhizinatum | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Peltigerales |
| Family: | Peltigeraceae |
| Genus: | Nephroma |
| Species: | N. flavorhizinatum |
| Binomial name | |
| Nephroma flavorhizinatum Q.Tian & H.Y.Wang (2011) | |
Nephroma flavorhizinatum is a species of terricolous (ground-dwelling) foliose lichen in the family Peltigeraceae. Described as new to science in 2011, it is only known to occur in the Tibetan Plateau.
Nephroma flavorhizinatum was formally described as a new species in 2011 by Qiong Tian and Hai-Ying Wang, based on specimens collected from the Tibetan Plateau. While several other Nephroma species have laminal lobules or white to yellow medulla (such as N. chubutense , N. laevigatum , N. tangeriense , and N. venosum ), N. flavorhizinatum is distinguished from these relatives by its unique combination of rhizines and chemical composition. The holotype specimen is preserved in the lichen section of botanical herbarium at Shandong Normal University (SDNU). [1]
Molecular phylogenetics analysis based on nuclear ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer sequences confirms the distinctiveness of this species. N. flavorhizinatum forms a sister group to the clade containing N. helveticum and N. isidiosum . This molecular evidence supports the morphological characters that initially led to its recognition as a distinct species. The analysis suggests that while N. flavorhizinatum shares a common ancestor with N. helveticum and its allies, it has evolved along its own independent path. [2]
Nephroma flavorhizinatum is a foliose (leaf-like) lichen that forms a leathery thallus about 4 cm in diameter. The thallus consists of irregular lobes that are 2–10 mm wide and tend to curve upward at their edges. The upper surface is brown and smooth, with a distinctive white, powdery coating (known as pruina ) visible along the lobe margins and on the reproductive structures. [1]
A key identifying feature of this species is the presence of small, flattened outgrowths called lobules , which occur both along the margins and on the surface of the thallus. These lobules develop from tiny, finger-like projections and can grow to 0.2–1 mm in width, with some becoming branched. [1]
The internal structure of the thallus is composed of several distinct layers. The upper cortex is pale brown and approximately 35 μm thick. Below this lies a layer containing the photobiont ( Nostoc ) that is about 65 μm thick. The medulla is white and contains abundant water-soluble crystals, measuring around 80 μm in thickness. The lower cortex is pale and relatively thin at about 30 μm. [2]
The interior layer (medulla) of the lichen varies in colour from white to golden yellow. The lower surface is dark brown and fuzzy, becoming lighter and smoother near the edges. It produces distinctive brush-like attachments called rhizines, which are approximately 3 mm long and show a characteristic two-toned colouration: golden yellow at their bases and white at their tips. [1]
The species reproduces sexually through kidney-shaped structures called apothecia (fruiting bodies), which are common and appear sunken into the lower surface at the tips of the lobes. These apothecia are usually upright, with dark brown discs measuring 1–4 mm across and often covered with short, fuzzy hairs. Each reproductive structure contains spore sacs (asci) with eight ascospores each. The individual spores are pale brown and divided into four sections by three cross-walls (septa), measuring 15–20 by 3.5–5 μm. [1]
When tested with common chemical reagents used in lichen identification (spot tests, the species shows distinctive reactions. Most notably, both the golden yellow portions of the medulla and the bases of the rhizines turn violet when potassium hydroxide solution (K) is applied, helping to distinguish this species from its relatives. [1]
Nephroma flavorhizinatum is known only from its type locality in the Tibetan Plateau, specifically in Litang, Sichuan Province, China. It grows at high elevations, having been collected at an altitude of 4,200 m (13,800 ft) above sea level. The species is terricolous, meaning it grows directly on soil rather than on rocks or trees. [1] Multiple specimens have been documented from the type locality. The original collections include the holotype specimen (collection number 20080755) gathered in November 2008, along with additional specimens (20084011 and 20103317) collected from the same area. [2]
While additional populations may exist in similar high-altitude environments across the Tibetan Plateau, as of its initial description in 2011, the species has only been documented from this single location. This restricted distribution could reflect either the species' genuine rarity and habitat specificity, or it may be due to limited sampling of these remote, high-elevation environments. [1]
Melanohalea is a genus of foliose lichens in the family Parmeliaceae. It contains 30 mostly Northern Hemisphere species that grow on bark or on wood. The genus is characterised by the presence of pseudocyphellae, usually on warts or on the tips of isidia, a non-pored epicortex and a medulla containing depsidones or lacking secondary metabolites. Melanohalea was circumscribed in 2004 as a segregate of the morphologically similar genus Melanelia, which was created in 1978 for certain brown Parmelia species. The methods used to estimate the evolutionary history of Melanohalea suggest that its diversification primarily occurred during the Miocene and Pliocene epochs.
Nephroma is a genus of medium to large foliose lichens. The genus has a widespread distribution. They are sometimes called kidney lichens, named after the characteristic kidney-shaped apothecia that they produce on the lower surface of their lobe tips, which often curl upwards and thus are visible from above. Sterile specimens that do not have apothecia can look somewhat like Melanelia, Peltigera, Platismatia, or Asahinea. Most species grow either on mossy ground or rocks, or on trees.
Hypotrachyna lueckingii is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is only known to occur at high elevations on the Cordillera de Talamanca in Costa Rica.
Relicina colombiana is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. Found in high-elevation páramo of the Eastern Cordillera in Colombia, it was described as new to science in 2011.
Hypogymnia congesta is a rare species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. Found in China, it was formally described as a new species in 2003. The lichen grows on the bark and wood of conifers and bamboo. Hypogymnia congesta has a brown to brownish-grey foliose thallus measuring up to 8 cm (3.1 in) long or broad, with a cartilage-like texture. The lichen is chemically distinct, containing physodic acid and virensic acid; the latter substance is otherwise unknown from genus Hypogymnia.
Melanohalea lobulata is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. Found in the Tibetan Plateau, it was formally described as a new species in 2009 by Fan-Ge Meng and Hai-Ying Wang. The type was collected in Kazilashan, Litang County (Sichuan), at an elevation of 4,710 m (15,450 ft). Here it was found growing on twigs. Its thallus measures 2–13 cm (0.8–5.1 in) in diameter, and has a dark brown upper surface. The elongated-ellipsoid lobules that are developed from papillae distinguish M. lobulata from all the other Melanohalea species.
Punctelia bolliana, the eastern speckled shield lichen, is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is found in North America, with a distribution extending from the Canadian province of Ontario south to the central and northeastern United States and Mexico. It grows on the bark of both deciduous trees and coniferous trees. The combination of characteristics that distinguishes this species from others in genus Punctelia are the absence of the vegetative propagules isidia and soralia, a pale brown lower thallus surface, and the presence of the secondary chemical protolichesterinic acid in the medulla.
Remototrachyna sipmaniana is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is only known to occur in Bolivia, where it grows on boulders in Yungas mountain cloud forests.
Peltigera wulingensis is a species of terricolous (ground-dwelling), foliose lichen in the family Peltigeraceae. Originally described from specimens found in northern China, it has since been recorded in Canada, Norway, and Russia.
Hypogymnia pruinoidea is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. Found in China, it was formally described as a new species in 2012 by Xin-Li Wei and Jiang-Chun Wei. The type specimen was collected from Mt. Taibaishan (Shaanxi) at an elevation of 2,800 m (9,200 ft), where it was found growing on the trunk of Abies. It is only known to occur at this location, a cool and moist montane environment supporting lichen-rich forests and woodlands. The species epithet refers to the pruinose upper thallus surface and lobe tips.
Canoparmelia consanguinea is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. Found in Brazil, it was formally described as a new species in 2009 by lichenologists Marcelo Marcelli, Luciana da Silva Canêz, and John Elix. The type specimen was collected from an open field in Fazenda da Estrela at an altitude of 920 m (3,020 ft), where it was growing on basaltic rock.
Parmotrema upretii is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. Found in India, it was described as new to science in 2003 by Pradeep Divakar. The type specimen was collected near Banjar in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh, India at an altitude of 1,700 m (5,600 ft), where it was found growing on rock. The species epithet honours Indian lichenologist Dalip Kumar Upreti, who collected the type specimen.
Parmotrema marcellianum is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. Found on the Galápagos Islands, it was formally described as a new species in 2019 by lichenologists Frank Bungartz and Adriano Spielmann. The type specimen was collected from Cerro Ventanas on Floreana Island at an altitude of 424 m (1,391 ft); there, it was found overgrowing pebbles on sun-, wind-, and rain-exposed ground. The species epithet honours the authors' colleague Marcelo Pinto Marcelli, "in recognition of his work on the lichen family Parmeliaceae".
Placolecis kunmingensis is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Catillariaceae. It is found in Yunnan, China. The lichen is characterised by a thallus that is areolate to squamulose in its centre, forming irregular patches or clumps 10–50 mm wide, as well as its ellipsoid or spherical ascospores with slightly thickened wall.
Lobariella reticulata is a species of foliose lichen in the family Peltigeraceae. It is found in Colombia.
Awasthia is a monotypic fungal genus in the family Physciaceae. It contains the single species Awasthia melanotricha, a foliose lichen found in the Nepal Himalayas.
Physcia magnussonii is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), foliose lichen in the family Physciaceae. It was formally described as a new species in 1952 by the Swiss botanist Eduard Frey. He collected the type specimen in Bern, Switzerland. The species epithet honours the Swedish lichenologist Adolf Hugo Magnusson. Frey's original specimen was later declared the lectotype of the species by Roland Moberg in a 1977 monograph on the genus Physcia.
Melanelixia albertana is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. First described in 1969 from collections made in Alberta, Canada, it has undergone two taxonomic reclassifications before ultimately being placed in the genus Melanelixia in 2004. The species is characterised by the soralia on the margins of its lobes, a feature that is rare in brown parmelioid lichens. This feature is reflected in its common name, powder-rimmed camouflage lichen. Melanelixia albertana has an unusual Asian-North American disjunct distribution. The widespread presence of Melanelixia albertana across different regions is attributed to the similar climatic and vegetative conditions found in the northern parts of the interior prairies in North America, as well as in the forest steppe and ultracontinental taiga forests of northern Mongolia, Transbaikal, and Yakutia. It occurs in river valley and ravine systems, as well as aspen parkland.
Tuckermannopsis orbata, commonly known as the variable wrinkle lichen, is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is a small cetrarioid lichen, an informal growth form category that denotes lichens with erect, foliose thalli, and apothecia and pycnidia on the margins of the ruffled lobes. Tuckermannopsis orbata is found in Asia and North America, growing primarily on the wood and bark of mostly birch and coniferous tree branches and twigs.
Xanthoparmelia auricampa is a little-known species of terricolous (ground-dwelling), foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is endemic to Western Australia.