Punctelia hypoleucites

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Punctelia hypoleucites
Punctelia hypoleucites 152719.jpg
Growing on the bark of Arizona cypress in Chiricahua National Monument, Arizona. A cluster of apothecia is visible in the center of the thallus
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Lecanoromycetes
Order: Lecanorales
Family: Parmeliaceae
Genus: Punctelia
Species:
P. hypoleucites
Binomial name
Punctelia hypoleucites
(Nyl.) Krog (1982)
Synonyms
  • Parmelia hypoleucitesNyl. (1858)
  • Parmelia borreri subsp. hypoleucites(Nyl.) Nyl. (1860)

Punctelia hypoleucites, commonly known as the southwestern speckled shield lichen, is a species of foliose (leafy) lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. First formally described by Finnish botanist William Nylander as a species of Parmelia , it was transferred to the genus Punctelia in 1982. The lichen is found in Africa, North America, and South America, where it grows on the bark of both hardwood and coniferous trees. Its greenish-grey thallus is covered with tiny white pseudocyphellae – minute holes in the thallus surface that facilitate gas exchange. Some macroscopic features that help distinguish this species from other related members of the genus include the presence and the structure of the apothecia (sexual reproductive organs), the absence of asexual surface propagules, and the light brown color of the thallus undersurface. Chemically, the presence of lecanoric acid in the medulla and atranorin in the cortex help distinguish it from lookalikes.

Contents

Taxonomy

The lichen was first described as a new species by Finnish botanist William Nylander in 1858 as Parmelia hypoleucites. The type specimens were collected in Pico de Orizaba, Veracruz, Mexico, by Fritz Müller, who sent them to Nylander for identification. Nylander mentioned its similarity to Parmelia saxatilis , but noted that it was smoother, with a paler underside and whitish rhizines (root-like structures). [1] The specific epithet combines the Greek prefix hypo- ("under") with a form of the word leukos ("white"). [2] Although Nylander did not mention it in his text, Müller sent two specimens from Veracruz, both of which were assigned the name Parmelia hypoleucites by Nylander. The smaller one of them is attached to bark (and is thus clearly corticolous), but it is poorly developed and lacks conidia (asexual spores) and apothecia (ascus-bearing structures). The second specimen is much larger, has conidia, but has a clean undersurface indicative of having grown on rock. [3] In 1965, Mason Hale designated the larger specimen as the type for the species, [4] a decision that was followed by Hildur Krog and Dougal Swinscow in their 1977 study of the Parmelia borreri species group. [5]

A few years later, William and Chicita Culberson reported their observations on the differences in the length of the conidia in populations of P. hypoleucites collected from Arizona and Mexico. They noted that the long-form conidia morphs (P. hypoleucites) grew on bark and had a range restricted to woodlands of the Mexican highlands, while the short-form conidia morphs grew on rocks and were widespread in south-central North America, with few occurrences in regions with the long-form morph. They used this dimorphism to distinguish the short-form morph as a distinct species, P. semansiana, using the larger of Müller's specimens as the type of this new species, and designated the smaller, corticolous specimen as the type for Parmelia hypoleucites. [3] Later, in a 2003 study, Robert Shaw Egan found P. semansiana to be identical with P. graminicola . [6]

Krog transferred Parmelia hypoleucites and 21 other Parmelia species with rounded (punctate) pseudocyphellae (tiny pores that facilitate gas exchange) to the newly circumscribed genus Punctelia in 1982. [7] The lichen is known colloquially as the "southwestern speckled shield lichen". [8]

Description

Closeup of apothecia of a herbarium specimen Punctelia hypoleucites-3.jpg
Closeup of apothecia of a herbarium specimen

Punctelia hypoleucites has a leafy (foliose) thallus measuring 7 cm (2.8 in) or more in diameter, [9] with an upper limit of 12 cm (4.7 in). [10] It has a fairly tight attachment to its substrate. When fresh, the upper thallus surface has a gray-greenish color; when dry it is brown-yellowish. [9] The individual lobes comprising the thallus are typically up to 5 mm (0.2 in) wide (sometimes up to 1 cm wide), and they have rounded tips, sometimes developing a brownish margin that is narrow and shiny. [10] The entire thallus surface is covered with abundant point-like (punctiform) white pseudocyphellae, [9] which are up to 0.5 mm in diameter. [10] There are not any asexual reproductive structures such as soralia nor isidia. Conspicuous pycnidia (asexual fruiting bodies) are present on the thallus as tiny black dots, especially near the margins of the lobes. The rounded lobes measure 2–6 mm (0.1–0.2 in) wide. The medulla – a layer of interlaced hyphae below the upper cortex – is white, while the thallus undersurface is light brown. Rhizines are abundant on the thallus underside; they are whitish or brown and mostly unbranched. The apothecia are 5–15 mm (0.2–0.6 in) in diameter, and are abundant. These cup-shaped reproductive structures are positioned on the surface of the thallus and have a brown hymenium (fertile, spore-bearing tissue), with a thick margin (an excipulum) that is curled inwards slightly. Pseudocyphellae occur on the excipulum. Ascospores, which number eight per ascus, have an ellipsoid shape, lack septa, and are smooth, translucent (hyaline), and thin-walled; they measure 14.4–17.6 by 8.8–9.6  μm. The conidia are threadlike (filiform) and hyaline, typically measuring 9.6 by 12 μm. [9]

Standard chemical spot tests can be used to help identify Punctelia hypoleucites. In the medulla, the results of these tests are K-, KC+ (red), and C+ (red). The last of these indicates the presence of lecanoric acid. The cortex contains atranorin, which results in a K+ (yellow) reaction. [9]

Punctelia hypoleucites is quite similar in appearance to P. bolliana ; both have a brown underside, have apothecia, and lack soralia and isidia, but P. hypoleucites contains lecanoric acid while the medulla of P. bolliana contains lichesterinic and protolichesterinic acid. Another lookalike is Punctelia subpraesignis , which can be distinguished from P. hypoleucites by its dark brown to almost black thallus undersurface, and chemically by the presence of gyrophoric acid rather than lecanoric acid. Because of its abundant pseudocyphellae and similar overall appearance, Flavopunctelia praesignis is another lichen that could be mistaken for P. hypoleucites, but this species has a black undersurface and an overall yellowish-green coloring resulting from usnic acid. [8]

Habitat and distribution

Individual growing on bark in Madera Canyon, Arizona, at an elevation of 1,839 m (6,033 ft); the greener lichen growing next to it is Flavopunctelia Punctelia hypoleucites 229537.jpg
Individual growing on bark in Madera Canyon, Arizona, at an elevation of 1,839 m (6,033 ft); the greener lichen growing next to it is Flavopunctelia

In Mexico, Punctelia hypoleucites has been recorded from the states of Mexico, [11] Guerrero, Puebla, [9] Hidalgo, Veracruz, [12] Jalisco, [13] Michoacán, [14] Colima, Nayarit, and Zacatecas. It is one of the most abundant foliose lichens in the Nueva Galicia region. [9] In the United States, where it is relatively rare, the lichen is found in the southwestern region of the country; [8] specifically, it has been recorded from Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. [15] First recorded from East Africa in 1977, [5] it has been found in Ethiopia and Kenya. [9] In South America it occurs in Argentina, [16] and Bolivia. [17]

The lichen grows on bark, usually of deciduous trees. It is a conspicuous member of the lichen flora in certain parts of its range, such as in oak and oak-pine forests at high elevations – greater than 2,000 m (6,600 ft). Here it has been observed to be part of flourishing epiphytic lichen communities, along with the common Flavopunctelia flaventior and members of the genera Everniastrum , Heterodermia , Hypogymnia , and Parmotrema . At lower elevations it is mostly absent, despite the abundance of potential substrates, and the individuals that are found tend to lack apothecia and pycnidia. [3] Tree genera upon which the lichen has been recorded include the hardwoods Acer , Alnus , Arbutus , Quercus , Fraxinus , Prosopis , Prunus , Salix , Willardia , and the conifers Cupressus , Juniperus , Pinus , and Pseudotsuga . [10]

Because of the widespread occurrence of Punctelia hypoleucites in both urban and industrial sites in and around Tandil, it has been proposed as a potential biomonitor of air pollution in that city. [18]

A study on the post‐fire recolonization of dominant epiphytic lichen species on Quercus hypoleucoides determined that the primary means of recolonization for P. hypoleucites is spore dispersal. [19]

Related Research Articles

<i>Punctelia</i> Genus of foliose lichens

Punctelia is a genus of foliose lichens belonging to the large family Parmeliaceae. The genus, which contains about 50 species, was segregated from genus Parmelia in 1982. Characteristics that define Punctelia include the presence of hook-like to thread-like conidia, simple rhizines, and point-like pseudocyphellae. It is this last feature that is alluded to in the vernacular names speckled shield lichens or speckleback lichens.

<i>Punctelia rudecta</i> Species of lichen in the family Parmeliaceae

Punctelia rudecta, commonly known as the rough speckled shield or the speckleback lichen, is a North American species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. This species can be readily identified by the light color of the thallus underside, the relatively large lobes at the edges of the thallus, and the tiny white pores present on the top of the thallus that are characteristic of the genus Punctelia. The lichen is quite abundant and widespread in the eastern and southeastern United States, although it also occurs in Canada and northern Mexico, but is less common in these regions. The lichen usually grows on bark, and less commonly on shaded rocks. There are several lookalike Punctelia species; these can often be distinguished from P. rudecta by differences in distribution or in the nature of the reproductive structures present on the thallus.

Punctelia purpurascens is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. Found in Brazil, it was formally described as a new species in 2007 by lichenologists Marcelo Marcelli and Luciana da Silva Canêz. The type specimen was collected in the municipality of Vicara in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. There it was found growing on a basaltic rock in an open field. The specific epithet purpurascens refers to the unusual K+ purple reaction of the medulla.

Punctelia nashii is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is known only from California.

Punctelia constantimontium is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. Its range includes South America, Africa, and Mexico, where it grows on bark and twigs.

<i>Punctelia reddenda</i> Species of lichen

Punctelia reddenda is a widely distributed species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It occurs in Africa, Europe, North America, and South America, where it grows on bark and on rock.

Punctelia negata is a little-known species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is found in South America.

Punctelia riograndensis is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. Found in Africa and South America, it was formally described as a new species by Norwegian lichenologist Bernt Lynge in 1914, as Parmelia riograndensis. The type specimen was collected in 1892 from Porto Alegre Municipality in Rio Grande do Sul State (Brazil) by Swedish lichenologist Gustav Malme. In 1982, Hildur Krog circumscribed the genus Punctelia to contain Parmelia species with rounded pseudocyphellae, and P. riograndensis was one of the 22 species that she transferred to the new genus.

Punctelia tomentosula is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. Found in Peru, it was described as a new species in 1999 by Japanese lichenologist Syo Kurokawa.

Punctelia colombiana is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) and foliose (leafy) lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is found in South America.

Punctelia subpraesignis is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It occurs in Mexico, South America, and East Africa, where it grows on bark and on rocks. Major characteristics of the lichen that distinguish it from other Punctelia species include the C+ and KC+ rose spot tests of the medulla, ascospores that are smaller than 20 μm, and unciform (hooklike) conidia.

Punctelia cedrosensis is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is endemic to Mexico, where it grows on the bark of conifers.

<i>Punctelia punctilla</i> Species of lichen

Punctelia punctilla is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is found in Africa, South America, and North America, where it grows on bark and on rocks. The main characteristics that distinguish Punctelia punctilla from other species of Punctelia are the presence of isidia on the thallus surface, a pale brown thallus undersurface, and the presence of lecanoric acid in the medulla.

<i>Flavopunctelia soredica</i> Species of lichen

Flavopunctelia soredica is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It was first described as Parmelia soredica by Finnish botanist William Nylander in 1872. In 1982, Hildur Krog transferred it to the subgenus Flavopunctelia of her newly circumscribed genus Punctelia, created to contain Parmelia species with punctate (point-like) pseudocyphellae. Mason Hale raised this subgenus to generic status a couple of years later. The lichen is colloquially known as the powder-edged speckled greenshield. It is widely distributed, having been recorded from North America, South America, South Africa, India, Russia, China and Japan.

<i>Punctelia bolliana</i> Species of lichen

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.

Punctelia borrerina is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is found in Mexico and South America.

<i>Punctelia perreticulata</i> Species of lichen

Punctelia perreticulata is a widely distributed species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It occurs in Mediterranean Europe and Russia, North America, South America, Australia, and New Zealand, where it grows on rocks, bark, or wood. Its main distinguishing features are its thallus surface, marked with many shallow depressions, grooves, or pits, and sorediate pseudocyphellae. The lower side of the thallus is ivory to tan towards the centre and the major secondary metabolite in the medulla is lecanoric acid. A lookalike species with which it has been historically confused is Punctelia subrudecta; this lichen can be distinguished from Punctelia perreticulata by the texture of the thallus surface, or, more reliably, by the length of its conidia.

<i>Punctelia graminicola</i> Species of lichen

Punctelia graminicola is a species of foliose (leafy) lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It grows on rocks, and, less frequently, on bark in North America, South America, and East Africa. It has a blue-grey thallus measuring up to about 15 cm (6 in), covered with tiny pores called pseudocyphellae. Sometimes the lichen forms small lobes that project out from the surface. Fruiting bodies are uncommon in this species; if present, they resemble small cups with a brown internal disc measuring 3–10 mm (0.1–0.4 in) in diameter. A lookalike species, Punctelia hypoleucites, is not readily distinguishable from Punctelia graminicola by appearance or habitat alone; these species can only be reliably differentiated by examining the length of their conidia.

<i>Punctelia stictica</i> Species of lichen

Punctelia stictica is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is widely distributed lichen, recorded in Africa, Europe, North America, South America, and Greenland. It is typically found growing on rocks.

<i>Punctelia borreri</i> Species of lichen

Punctelia borreri is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is a common and widely distributed species, occurring in tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions of Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America. The lichen typically grows on bark of deciduous trees, and less commonly on rock. Some European countries have reported increases in the geographic range or regional frequency of the lichen in recent decades, attributed alternatively to a reduction of atmospheric sulphur dioxide levels or an increase in temperatures resulting from climate change.

References

  1. ↑ Nylander, W. (1858). "Lichenes collecti in Mexico a Fr. Müller" [Lichens collected in Mexico by Fr. Müller]. Flora (Regensburg) (in Latin). 41: 377–386.
  2. ↑ Bayton, Ross (2020). The Gardener's Botanical: An Encyclopedia of Latin Plant Names. Princeton University Press. pp. 476, 544. ISBN   978-0691200170.
  3. 1 2 3 Culberson, William Louis; Culberson, Chicita F. (1980). "Microconidial dimorphism in the lichen genus Parmelia". Mycologia. 72 (1): 127–135. doi:10.1080/00275514.1980.12021161. JSTOR   3759425.
  4. ↑ Hale, Mason E. (1965). "Studies on the Parmelia borreri group". Svensky Botanika Svidskrift. 59: 37–48.
  5. 1 2 Krog, H.; Swinscow, T.D.V. (1977). "The Parmelia borreri group in East Africa". Norwegian Journal of Botany. 24 (3): 167–177.
  6. ↑ Egan, Robert S. (2003). "What is the lichen Parmelia graminicola B. de Lesd.?". The Bryologist. 106 (2): 314–316. doi:10.1639/0007-2745(2003)106[0314:WITLPG]2.0.CO;2. S2CID   85711091.
  7. ↑ Krog, Hildur (1982). "Punctelia, a new lichen genus in the Parmeliaceae". Nordic Journal of Botany. 2 (3): 287–292. doi:10.1111/j.1756-1051.1982.tb01191.x.
  8. 1 2 3 Brodo, Irwin M.; Sharnoff, Sylvia Duran; Sharnoff, Stephen (2001). Lichens of North America. New Haven: Yale University Press. pp. 606–607. ISBN   978-0-300-08249-4.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Álvarez, Isela; Guzmán–Dávalos, Laura (2009). "Flavopunctelia y Punctelia (Ascomycetes liquenizados) de Nueva Galicia, México" [Flavopunctelia and Punctelia (lichenized Ascomycetes) from Nueva Galicia, Mexico]. Revista Mexicana de Micología (in Spanish). 29: 15–29.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Nash, T.H. III; Ryan, B.D.; Diederich, P.; Gries, C.; Bungartz, F. (2004). Lichen Flora of the Greater Sonoran Desert Region. Vol. 2. Tempe: Lichens Unlimited, Arizona State University. p. 432. ISBN   978-0-9716759-1-9.
  11. ↑ Guzmán, H. (1972). "Algunos macromicetos, liquenes y mixomicetos importantes en la zona del Volcan Popocatepetl (Amecameca-Tlamacas, Mex.)" [Some important macromycetes, lichens and myxomycetes in the area of the Popocatepetl Volcano (Amecameca-Tlamacas, Mex.)]. Guias Botanicas de Excursiones en Mexico (in Spanish). Mexico City: Sociedad Botanica de Mexico. pp. 17–42.
  12. ↑ Coutiño, B.; Mojica, A. (1985). "Líquenes de la región del Cofre de Perote–Xalapa" [Lichens from the Cofre de Perote–Xalapa region]. Revista Mexicana de Micología (in Spanish). 1: 379–400.
  13. ↑ Guzmán–Dávalos, L.; Álvarez, I. (1987). "Observaciones sobre los líquenes de Jalisco y de Chiapas" [Observations on the lichens of Jalisco and Chiapas]. Revista Mexicana de Micología (in Spanish). 3: 217–230.
  14. ↑ Gómez–Peralta, M. (1992). "Contribución al conocimiento de los líquenes del campo geotérmico Los Azufres, Michoacán, México" [Contribution to the knowledge of the lichens of the Los Azufres geothermal field, Michoacán, Mexico]. Acta Botánica Mexicana (in Spanish). 18 (18): 31–53. doi: 10.21829/abm18.1992.642 .
  15. ↑ Ham, V. (30 April 2021). "Punctelia hypoleucites: Southwestern Speckled Shield Lichen". NatureServe . Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  16. ↑ Quiroga, Luis Gonzalo; Estrabou, Cecilia; Rodriguez, Juan Manuel (2008). "Lichen community response to different management situations in a protected forest of Córdoba, Argentina". Lazaroa. 29: 131–138. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  17. ↑ Flakus, Adam; Sipman, Harrie J. M.; Rodriguez Flakus, Pamela; Schiefelbein, Ulf; Jabłońska, Agnieszka; Kukwa, Martin; Oset, Magdalena (2014). "Contribution to the knowledge of the lichen biota of Bolivia. 6". Polish Botanical Journal. 59 (1): 63–83. doi: 10.2478/pbj-2014-0020 .
  18. ↑ Chaparro, Marcos A.E.; Lavornia, Juan M.; Chaparro, Mauro A.E.; Sinito, Ana M. (2013). "Biomonitors of urban air pollution: Magnetic studies and SEM observations of corticolous foliose and microfoliose lichens and their suitability for magnetic monitoring". Environmental Pollution. 172: 61–69. doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2012.08.006. hdl: 11336/6969 . PMID   22982554.
  19. ↑ Romagni, Joanne G.; Gries, Corinna (2000). "Post-fire recolonization of dominant epiphytic lichen species on Quercus hypoleucoides (Fagaceae)". American Journal of Botany. 87 (12): 1815–1820. doi: 10.2307/2656834 . JSTOR   2656834. PMID   11118419.
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