| Pyrenula cryptothelia | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Eurotiomycetes |
| Order: | Pyrenulales |
| Family: | Pyrenulaceae |
| Genus: | Pyrenula |
| Species: | P. cryptothelia |
| Binomial name | |
| Pyrenula cryptothelia | |
| Synonyms [1] [2] | |
Pyrenula cryptothelia is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) crustose lichen in the family Pyrenulaceae. [3] It has a neotropical distribution.
Pyrenula cryptothelia was originally described by the Swiss lichenologist Johannes Müller Argoviensis in 1885 as Pyrenastrum cryptothelium. [4] The species has undergone some taxonomic changes: first described as Pyrenastrum cryptothelium, then transferred to Astrothelium by William Nylander in Auguste-Marie Hue's "Nouvelles Archives du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle" (1892), and finally placed in the genus Pyrenula as Pyrenula cryptothelia in 2003. [5]
Pyrenula cryptothelia is characterized by melanothecoid , partly fused ascomata (fruiting bodies), typically occurring in groups of three or four. It has large apiculate spores measuring 32–37 by 13–15.5 μm with three eusepta; [5] a later review of the genus gives a broader spore length range, 30–45 μm. [2] The species is morphologically similar to Pyrenula cubana , but can be distinguished by its larger spores, as P. cubana has spores measuring 21–25 by 8–10 μm. [5]
Pyrenula cryptothelia has been documented in Cuba (type locality), Ecuador (Napo Province and Los Ríos Province), and Panama (Veraguas Province, Bahia Honda, Isla de Canales de Tierra). [5]