Roccella gracilis

Roccella gracilis
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Ascomycota
Class:	Arthoniomycetes
Order:	Arthoniales
Family:	Roccellaceae
Genus:	Roccella
Species:	R. gracilis
Binomial name
	Roccella gracilis; Bory (1828)
Synonyms
	Roccella montagnei var. peruensis Kremp. (1876); Roccella peruensis(Kremp.) Darb. (1898); Roccella humboldtianaFollmann (2001);

Last updated February 04, 2024 • 3 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Roccella gracilis is a species of fruticose lichen in the family Roccellaceae.^[2] Flourishing in coastal environments, Roccella gracilia predominantly grows along the coasts of Baja California and the Galápagos Islands, preferring the trunks, branches, and twigs of trees, but it is also found on rocks and cliffs. Its distribution spans coastal habitats from California south to Peru, including the Galápagos Islands and parts of the Caribbean.

Description

Roccella gracilia has a fruticose (shrub-like) thallus, which can be either pendent or erect. The main branches of this lichen are flattened and relatively soft, typically measuring between 5 and 15 cm (2 and 6 in) in length. The surface of the lobes ranges in color from creamy to brownish and grayish, usually with a smooth texture. However, it is not uncommon for the lobe surface to be uneven, with by ridges and wrinkles.^[3]

Soredia, which are granular clusters of fungal and algal cells for asexual reproduction, are commonly found in Roccella gracilia but do not coexist with ascomata (spore-producing structures). These soredia turn C+ (red) and are located in maculiform (i.e., marked with spots) soralia, forming small patches that often merge to cover a significant portion of the lobe surface. The medulla, the inner layer of the lichen, is typically white but shows a yellow or yellowish coloration in the hold-fast zone, the area where the lichen attaches to its substrate .^[3]

Apothecia, the reproductive structures where spores are produced, have been observed in specimens from Baja California Sur but are absent when soredia are present. These apothecia are sessile, meaning they are directly attached to the substrate without a stalk. The ascospores of Roccella gracilia are measured to be 21–28 µm long and 3–4 µm wide.^[3]

In terms of chemical composition and reactions to spot tests, the cortex of Roccella gracilia reacts to a potassium hydroxide (K) test with a more or less yellowish-red color (which may sometimes be inconspicuous), C+ (red), KC+ (red), and P−. The medulla has spot test reactions of K−, C−, KC−, P−. The lichen contains secondary metabolites (lichen products) such as erythrin and lecanoric acid.^[3]

Similar species

Roccella gracilis is characterized by its relatively small ascospores, measuring 3–4 µm in width, and a less sturdy thallus compared to the closely related species, Rocella decipiens .^[3]

Habitat and distribution

Roccella gracilia is a lichen known for its ability to grow large in appropriate coastal environments. It is predominantly found along the coasts of Baja California and the Galápagos Islands. In these coastal regions, it thrives on a variety of suitable substrates, showing a preference for growing on the trunks, branches, and twigs of different trees and shrubs. Sorediate forms, which reproduce asexually through soredia, are also commonly found on vertical rocks and cliffs. Specimens of Roccella gracilia that bear fruiting bodies (fertile specimens) are strictly corticolous, meaning they grow exclusively on the bark of trees.^[3]

The world distribution of Roccella gracilia is quite extensive along the coasts, stretching from north of the San Francisco area in California down to Arequipa, which is south of Lima, Peru. This distribution includes not only the Galápagos Islands but also a significant portion of the Caribbean region. Within the Sonoran region, its range extends from Southern California down to the tip of Baja California along the Pacific coast. This includes Guadalupe Island and extends into the southern parts of Sonora and adjacent Sinaloa.^[3]

Related Research Articles

Roccella is a genus of 23 species of lichens in the family Roccellaceae. The genus was circumscribed by Swiss botanist Augustin Pyramus de Candolle in 1805, with Roccella fuciformis as the type species.

Calopadia cinereopruinosa is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichen in the family Pilocarpaceae. Found in the Galápagos Islands, it was described as new to science in 2011. It is characterized by its grey-black, white-pruinose apothecia and aeruginous hypothecium. This lichen usually grows on the bark of stems and twigs in the humid zones of the islands.

Lecanora muralis(Protoparmeliopsis muralis) is a waxy looking, pale yellowish green crustose lichen that usually grows in rosettes radiating from a center (placodioid) filled with disc-like yellowish-tan fruiting bodies (apothecia). It grows all over the world. It is extremely variable in its characteristics as a single taxon, and may represent a complex of species. The fruiting body parts have rims of tissue similar to that of the main nonfruiting body (thallus), which is called being lecanorine. It is paler and greener than L. mellea, and more yellow than L. sierrae. In California, it may be the most common member of the Lecanora genus found growing on rocks (saxicolous).

Vermilacinia acicularis is a fruticose lichen that occurs in the Channel Islands of California. The type specimen was collected from San Clemente Island. Other specimens have been collected from Santa Barbara Island and Anacapa Island.

Vermilacinia cerebra is a fruticose lichen that grows on trees and shrubs in the fog regions along the Pacific Coast of North America from the Channel Islands and mainland California near Los Angeles to southern Baja California, also occurring in South America in the Antofagasta Province of northern Chile. The epithet is in reference to the apical swollen lobes that resemble the cerebrum of the brain.

Vermilacinia howei is a fruticose lichen that grows on trees and shrubs in the fog regions along the Pacific Coast of North America in the coastal scrub region of the Channel Islands of California, and around Bahía de San Quintín, Baja California and further south in the Vizcaíno Desert. The epithet honors Reginald Heber Howe, Jr. for his contributions to lichenology, especially acknowledged for providing images of the type (biology) specimens in his revision of the genus Ramalina.

Vermilacinia leonis is a fruticose lichen usually found on branches of shrubs in the fog regions along the Pacific Coast of North America and South America; in North America it is found on the southern half of the main peninsula of Baja California north to the southern coast of the Vizcaíno Peninsula. In South America, it occurs on bushes and rocks in Chile; reported from Colchaqua (Valley) and Santiago The epithet is in regard to absence of the black transverse bands often seen in other species such as V. leopardina, V. tigrina and V. zebrina.

Vermilacinia leopardina is a fruticose lichen usually that grows abundantly on the branches of shrubs in the fog regions along the Pacific Coast of North America, in the Channel Islands and on the mainland of California from Santa Barbara County south to the Vizcaíno Peninsula of Baja California. The species is also reported to occur in Chile, based on a single specimen mounted on a large index card off to one corner with the type (biology) of Usnea tumidula in the center and bottom ; it is possible that the specimen of V. leopardina was from North America and placed on the card for the purpose of making a comparison to the type for Usnea tumidula, which was annotated Ramalina ceruchis var. gracilior Muell.Arg., a name of uncertain status. The epithet, leopardina, is in reference to the black transverse bands and irregularly shaped black spots commonly seen on the thallus branches that obviously imply a similarity to the leopard animal, while also making comparative distinctions to other black banded species: V. tigrina and V. zebrina, obviously to a tiger and zebra, and to V. leonis, obviously a lion, which has no black stripes.

Vermilacinia nylanderi is a fruticose lichen that grows on branches of shrubs in the fog regions along the Pacific Coast of North America in the Channel Islands and in Baja California from near El Rosario south to the Vizcaíno Peninsula The epithet honors William Nylander who published a monograph on the related genus Ramalina in 1870.

Niebla podetiaforma is a fruticose lichen that grows frequently on small stones in fog regions along the Pacific Coast of Baja California from San Vicente Canyon to Morro Santo Domingo. The epithet, podetiaforma is in reference to a primary inflated branch of the thallus that resembles a podetium, a common feature in the lichen genus Cladonia.

Niebla siphonoloba is a fruticose lichen that grows on rocks along the foggy Pacific Coast of North America, in the Channel Islands, and from Bahía de San Quintín, Baja California to the Vizcaíno Peninsula. The epithet, siphonoloba is in reference to the pipe-like shape of the thallus branches.

Niebla sorocarpia is a fruticose lichen that grows on rocks along the foggy Pacific Coast of California in the Channel Islands and in Baja California in the Northern Vizcaíno Desert. The epithet, sorocarpia, is in reference to the terminal aggregate apothecia.

Niebla tesselata is a fruticose lichen that grows on rocks along the foggy Pacific Coast of in the Northern Vizcaíno Desert of Baja California. The epithet, tesselata, is in reference to the cobblestone pattern on the surface of the thallus branches.

Niebla undulata is a fruticose lichen that grows on rocks in the fog zone along the Pacific Coast of Baja California in the Northern Vizcaíno Desert, and also in the Channel Islands. The epithet, undulata, is in reference to the wavy margins of the thallus.

Punctelia jujensis is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is found in Argentina and Brazil.

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.

Dirina catalinariae is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Roccellaceae. It occurs in the southwestern United States, Mexico, and the Galápagos Islands.

Pertusaria cerroazulensis is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Pertusariaceae. Found on the Galápagos Islands, it was formally described as a new species in 2015 by Frank Bungartz, Alan W. Archer, Alba Yánez-Ayabaca, and John Elix. The type specimen was collected from the Cerro Azul volcano at an altitude of 1,038 m (3,406 ft), where in a small, shaded woodland, it was growing on twigs of Psidium galapageium. The species epithet refers to the type locality.

Roccella albida is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), fruticose lichen in the family Roccellaceae. It is found on the Galápagos Islands. The lichen is characterised by its distinctively shaped, cylindrical or slightly depressed branches that vary in length from 5 to 20 cm and are white to white-greyish in colour, with infrequent soredia. The lichen has a cottony medulla, commonly white or sometimes pale yellowish-brown, and has frequent ascomata with wavy margins.

Hypogymnia amplexa is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is found in the western United States and Canada.

References

↑ "GSD Species Synonymy. Current Name: Roccella gracilis Bory, Dict. Class. Hist. Nat. 14: 631 (1828)". Species Fungorum . Retrieved December 22, 2023.
↑ "Roccella gracilis Bory". Catalogue of Life . Species 2000: Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Tehler, Anders (2011). "Roccella, the Sonoran species reviewed". In Bates, Scott T.; Bungartz, Frank; Lücking, Robert; Herrea-Campos, Maria A.; Zambrano, Angel (eds.). Biomonitoring, Ecology, and Systematics of Lichens. Festschrift Thomas H. Nash III. Bibliotheca Lichenologica. Vol. 106. Stuttgart: J. Cramer in der Gebr. Borntraeger Verlagsbuchhandlung. pp. 309–318. ISBN 978-3-443-58085-8.

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[Species_Fungorum_synonymy-1] "GSD Species Synonymy. Current Name: Roccella gracilis Bory, Dict. Class. Hist. Nat. 14: 631 (1828)". Species Fungorum . Retrieved December 22, 2023.

[CoL-2] "Roccella gracilis Bory". Catalogue of Life . Species 2000: Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved December 22, 2023.

[Tehler_2011-3] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Tehler, Anders (2011). "Roccella, the Sonoran species reviewed". In Bates, Scott T.; Bungartz, Frank; Lücking, Robert; Herrea-Campos, Maria A.; Zambrano, Angel (eds.). Biomonitoring, Ecology, and Systematics of Lichens. Festschrift Thomas H. Nash III. Bibliotheca Lichenologica. Vol. 106. Stuttgart: J. Cramer in der Gebr. Borntraeger Verlagsbuchhandlung. pp. 309–318. ISBN 978-3-443-58085-8.

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