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.
Parmotrema aberrans is a species of lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is found in the Neotropics, from Mexico to Paraguay. The species was originally described by Edvard August Vainio in 1890 as a form of Parmelia xanthina. In 1958, Henry Nicollon des Abbayes promoted it to species level within Parmelia. Luciana Canêz and Marcelo Marcelli transferred it to Parmotrema in 2008.
Edvard August Vainio was a Finnish lichenologist. His early works on the lichens of Lapland, his three-volume monograph on the lichen genus Cladonia, and, in particular, his study of the classification and form and structure of lichens in Brazil, made Vainio renowned internationally in the field of lichenology.
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 guanchica is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae that is only known from the Canary Islands. It is similar in appearance and morphology to the North American Punctelia rudecta, and was historically misidentified as that species until molecular phylogenetic evidence showed it to be a distinct species. It differs in having thicker isidia that develop from the centre of the pseudocyphellae, and it mainly grows on rocks.
Punctelia involuta is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. Found in Brazil, it was described as a new species in 2010 by Luciana Canêz and Marcelli Marcelo. It is a member of the Punctelia microsticta species group, a set of related Punctelia lichens with a black lower surface and similar morphology. The type specimen of Punctelia involuta was collected in São Luiz do Paraitinga at the Serra do Mar State Park. In an open forest there it was found growing on mosses at the base of a thin, rotting Myrtaceae trunk; the elevation was 975 m (3,200 ft).
Punctelia toxodes is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. The lichen is a member of the Punctelia rudecta species complex. Found in South Africa, it was first formally described as a new species by English botanist James Stirton in 1878 as Parmelia toxodes. Klaus Kalb and Manuela Götz transferred it to the genus Punctelia in 2007. In his 1878 publication, Stirton did not designate a type specimen, so an epitype was designated in a 2016 publication. This epitype was collected from the Cape Floristic Region of South Africa, on Paarl Mountain at an altitude of 530 m (1,740 ft). The lichen grows on bark and on rocks.
Punctelia caseana is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. Its range covers eastern North America, extending south to central and northern Mexico, where it grows on the bark of many species of hardwood and conifer trees.
Punctelia nashii is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is known only from California.
Punctelia osorioi is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is found in Brazil.
Punctelia negata is a little-known species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is found in South America.
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 jujensis is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is found in Argentina and Brazil.
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.
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.
Punctelia subflava is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae that occurs in Australia.
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.
Punctelia microsticta is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It occurs in Brazil and Argentina, where it grows on bark.
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.
