Pyrenodesmia micromontana

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Pyrenodesmia micromontana
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Lecanoromycetes
Order: Teloschistales
Family: Teloschistaceae
Genus: Pyrenodesmia
Species:
P. micromontana
Binomial name
Pyrenodesmia micromontana
(Frolov, Wilk & Vondrák) Hafellner & Türk (2016)
Pyrenodesmia micromontana
Holotype site: Orenburg, Russia [1]
Synonyms [2]
  • Caloplaca micromontanaFrolov, Wilk & Vondrák (2016)

Pyrenodesmia micromontana is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. [3] Found in the Orenburg region of Russia, this species prefers to grow on lime-rich schist and sandstone boulders and pebbles in scrubs and steppes.

Contents

Taxonomy

The lichen was first formally described as a new species in 2016 by the lichenologists Ivan Frolov, Karina Wilk, and Jan Vondrák, who initially classified it in the genus Caloplaca . The type specimen was collected in Russia, specifically in the Orenburg region, within the Sakmara district near the village of Grebeni. This location features a shrubby steppe on the southeast slope of the Grebeni hill, west of the village. The specimen was found at an elevation ranging from 120 to 160 m (390 to 520 ft) above sea level, where it was found growing on lime-rich schist and sandstone boulders and pebbles within a scree. [1] Josef Hafellner and Roman Türk transferred the taxon to genus Pyrenodesmia later that year. [4]

Description

The thallus of Pyrenodesmia micromontana is epilithic (growing on the rock surface), typically less than 150  µm thick, and shows no distinct cortex . It is ochre or grey in colour, forming small, roundish spots up to 1 cm in diameter or irregular spots spread over several centimetres. The thallus consists of tightly arranged, angular to rounded, flat areoles . The medulla is inconspicuous, with cells containing extracellular crystals that dissolve and recrystallize in sulfuric acid. The algal layer , composed of spherical cells measuring 11.3–15.0 µm in diameter, is usually about 56–68 µm wide. [1]

Apothecia in Pyrenodesmia micromontana are small, usually less than 0.4 mm in diameter, with a brown to black disc and exciple , and a thalline exciple matching the thallus colour. The hymenium is colourless, occasionally containing crystals. The epihymenium is grey, sometimes with a weak brown tinge. [1]

Chemical spot tests show that the thallus and apothecia are K−, C−, and P−. The uppermost cells in the alveolate cortex of the thallus contain the pigment Sedifolia-grey . [1]

Distribution and ecology

Pyrenodesmia micromontana is found in various European and Asian inland territories, usually in mountainous regions. It grows on limestone, lime-rich schist, and sandstone, often accompanied by lichen species such as Acarospora moenium , Polyozosia dispersa , and Sarcogyne regularis . It does not occur in coastal areas where Pyrenodesmia micromarina is found. [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Kuettlingeria</i> Genus of lichens

Kuettlingeria is a genus of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichens in the family Teloschistaceae. Species are characterized by a white or gray thallus and the presence of anthraquinones in the apothecial disc and true exciple, with the exception of Kuettlingeria diphyodes, which entirely lacks anthraquinones. First described by Italian botanist Trevisan in 1857, the genus includes 15 recognized species, although it is believed to be more diverse with additional unnamed species. These lichens are predominantly found in the Northern Hemisphere, particularly in the Mediterranean region, and grow on limestone and base-rich siliceous outcrops in sunlit conditions.

<i>Pyrenodesmia</i> Genus of fungi

Pyrenodesmia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. The genus currently includes 23 recognized species but is believed to contain many more unnamed taxa. The genus was circumscribed in 1852 by Italian lichenologist Abramo Bartolommeo Massalongo. It is characterised by the complete absence of anthraquinones and the presence of Sedifolia-gray pigments in both the thallus and apothecia. These lichens are typically found in calcareous outcrops in the Northern Hemisphere, with biodiversity centres in the Mediterranean basin, Central Asia, and arid regions of western North America.

Parvoplaca nigroblastidiata is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. Found in Europe and Alaska, it was formally described as a new species in 2015 by Ulf Arup, Jan Vondrák, and Mehmet Halıcı. The type specimen was collected in the Nyhem Parish, Jämtland (Sweden), where it was growing on the bark of Populus tremula. In Turkey, it has been recorded at high altitudes on the bark of Juniperus excelsa and Abies cilicica, while in a single record from Alaska it is growing on Populus. In 2018 it was reported from the sacred groves of Epirus in Greece, and in 2020 from Norway.

Sanguineodiscus is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It is characterized by its deep red apothecial discs, found predominantly in the Mediterranean basin, Central Asia, Northern Africa, and Europe. This genus comprises both saxicolous and corticolous species, which are found in various habitats, such as inland rain-sheltered base-rich siliceous rocks, seashore siliceous rocks, and calcareous outcrops in Central Asia. Sanguineodiscus, established in 2023, contains four recognized species, but it is believed that the genus contains more unnamed taxa.

Cinnabaria is a monospecific fungal genus in the family Teloschistaceae, represented by its sole species, Cinnabaria boliviana. This lichen, found only in Bolivia, is distinguished by its unique genetic signature, as well as morphological characteristics like ascospore size and other traits. Despite its resemblance to certain species from the Caloplaca cinnabarina species complex, Cinnabaria boliviana belongs to a distinct genetic lineage.

<i>Kuettlingeria albolutescens</i> Species of lichen

Kuettlingeria albolutescens is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It occurs in Europe and Western Asia.

Caloplaca conranii is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. The lichen has a bright yellow thallus about 1–2 cm wide, featuring a thick texture with convex, pustule-like formations around the edges and occasionally forming clusters in the centre. Its apothecia are quite large and heavy, ranging from 0.4 to 1.5 mm in diameter, with a flat, dull orange or brownish-orange disc, and long, narrow ascospores.

Caloplaca filsonii is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It has a crust-like thallus that is uneven and warty around the edges and more distinctly wart-like in the centre, coloured in shades of grey and brownish-grey near its reproductive structures (apothecia), but lacking a developed prothallus.

Filsoniana kiamae is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is found in Australia. The lichen forms small rosettes with brownish-orange areoles, and it occasionally develops isidia. Its rare apothecia are round, with brownish-orange margins and a reddish disc.

Filsoniana rexfilsonii is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. Found in Australia, it was formally described as a new species in 2007. The thallus of Filsoniana rexfilsonii comprises brownish-orange squamules each hosting one to four reproductive structures.

Neobrownliella montisfracti is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is found in Australia. The small lichen has dull pink to grey areoles, characterised by completely immersed, reddish to pink-brown apothecia and lacking soredia and isidia. Its areoles are closely pressed against the substrate, with the apothecia containing small, elongated ascospores and narrowly rod-shaped conidia.

Cerothallia subluteoalba is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. Found in Australia, it was described as a new species in 2009. This species is distinguished by its numerous bright yellow to soft yellow-orange apothecia, tiny spores with slim dividers (septa), and a barely distinguishable thallus that either fades away or grows inside its host.

Sirenophila maccarthyi is a species of corticolous/lignicolous, crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It has a thallus that is whitish or greyish, often inconspicuous and not always continuous, which can appear darker or dirty grey near its numerous, clustered apothecia. Sirenophila maccarthyi is distributed across regions including Western Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, and New Zealand, in both coastal and inland habitats. It typically grows on the bark and dead wood of a wide range of trees and shrubs such as Acacia sophorae, Araucaria excelsa, and various Eucalyptus species.

Caloplaca sterilis is a corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen belonging to the family Teloschistaceae, described in 2011. It is primarily found in steppe and sand dune habitats in the Black Sea region, and has been recorded from Bulgaria, Romania, southwest Russia, and Ukraine. Caloplaca sterilis is characterised by tiny squamules/areoles with contrasting pale greyish-green to greenish soredia. It is easily overlooked and challenging to identify when completely sorediate and sterile, especially as its soredia do not contain the typical Sedifolia-grey pigment.

Fauriea trassii is a lichen species in the family Teloschistaceae, described in 2011. It is primarily found in the Far East of Russia, particularly in the Primorsky Krai region.

Caloplaca fluviatilis is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is found in the Republic of Tyva in Siberia.

Caloplaca nothoholocarpa is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is found in Chile.

Pyrenodesmia micromarina is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is found in the Eastern Mediterranean, specifically along the coasts of the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara in Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine. It grows on coastal rocks and occasionally concrete, often in Mediterranean scrub vegetation.

<i>Flavoplaca austrocitrina</i> Species of lichen

Flavoplaca austrocitrina is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is widely distributed in Europe, and has also been recorded in South America.

Flavoplaca arcisproxima is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is found primarily in the coastal regions of the Crimean Peninsula and the eastern Mediterranean, particularly in Crete, Greece.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Frolov, Ivan; Vondrák, Jan; Fernández-Mendoza, Fernando; Wilk, Karina; Khodosovtsev, Alexander; Halıcı, Mehmet Gökhan (2016). "Three new, seemingly-cryptic species in the lichen genus Caloplaca (Teloschistaceae) distinguished in two-phase phenotype evaluation". Annales Botanici Fennici. 53 (3–4): 243–262. doi:10.5735/085.053.0413. hdl:10995/117780. S2CID   88825723.
  2. "Synonymy. Current Name: Pyrenodesmia micromontana (Frolov, Wilk & Vondrák) Hafellner & Türk, Stapfia 104(1): 173 (2016)". Species Fungorum . Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  3. "Pyrenodesmia micromontana (Frolov, Wilk & Vondrák) Hafellner & Türk". Catalogue of Life . Species 2000: Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  4. Hafellner, J.; Türk, R. (2016). "Die lichenisierten Pilze Österreichs – eine neue Checkliste der bisher nachgewiesenen Taxa mit Angaben zu Verbreitung und Substratökologie" [The lichenized fungi of Austria – a new checklist of the taxa so far recorded, with data to distribution and substrate ecology](PDF). Stapfia (in German). 104 (1): 130.