Upretia squamulosa

Last updated

Upretia squamulosa
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Lecanoromycetes
Order: Teloschistales
Family: Teloschistaceae
Genus: Upretia
Species:
U. squamulosa
Binomial name
Upretia squamulosa
Y.Y.Zhang & Li S.Wang (2019)
Upretia squamulosa
Holotype site: Zhehai Town, Yunnan [1]

Upretia squamulosa is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), squamulose (scaly) lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. [2] It was identified as a new species in 2019 from specimens collected in the arid valley of the Jinsha River in Yunnan, China.

Contents

Taxonomy

The lichen was scientifically described as a new species in 2019 by Yan Yun Zhang and Li Song Wang. The species epithet refers to its squamulose (scaly) thallus. The type specimen of Upretia squamulosa was collected in Yunnan Province, China, specifically in Huize County, Zhehai Town, at an elevation of 1,720 m (5,640 ft). [1]

The genus Upretia is a recent classification within the subfamily Caloplacoideae of the family Teloschistaceae. [3] Molecular phylogenetics placed Upretia squamulosa in a clade close to Upretia. This genus, initially proposed on the basis of specimens collected from India, is closely related to the monotypic genus Ioplaca, found in high elevations in the Himalayas. [1]

Description

Upretia squamulosa is characterised by its squamulose, epilithic thallus that ranges in colour from greyish green to brown. The squamules are convex, sometimes resembling a bullet shape, with their apex often free from the substrate . This species has lecanorine apothecia, which are pale brown to brown in colour, and polarilocular ascospores. The thallus and apothecia contain gyrophoric and lecanoric acids, but no anthraquinones are found in the apothecia. [1]

The thallus of Upretia squamulosa is saxicolous and squamulose, without an effigurate margin, and can grow up to 7 cm (2.8 in) in diameter. The upper surface is non- pruinose , smooth, and without cracks. The hymenium of the apothecia is colourless and the epihymenium is pale brown. The species does not form pycnidia. [1]

Habitat and distribution

Upretia squamulosa thrives in arid environments, particularly on rocky substrates , at elevations ranging from 1,240 to 3,160 m (4,070 to 10,370 ft). It has been found exclusively in China's Yunnan Province. The species is adapted to the hot and dry climate of the Jinsha-jiang River valley, which is dominated by shrubs and hosts a variety of crustose and squamulose lichens. [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Immersaria</i> Genus of lichen

Immersaria is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Lecideaceae. It has eight species of crustose lichens.

Neobrownliella brownlieae is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is widely distributed in Australia.

Bryoria hengduanensis is a species of lichen of the genus Bryoria. It was described as new to science in 2003 by lichenologists Li-Song Wang and Hiroshi Harada. It is found in the Hengduan Mountains of southern China, where it grows on twigs and branches in coniferous forests at elevations of 3,000–4,000 metres (9,800–13,100 ft). The Hengduan Mountains is a region of high Bryoria biodiversity, as 24 species are known from this area.

<i>Pyxine sorediata</i> Species of lichen

Pyxine sorediata, commonly known as mustard lichen, is a widely distributed species of foliose lichen in the family Caliciaceae. It has a subtropical to warm temperate distribution, and grows on bark, rocks, and moss as substrates. Pyxine sorediata has been reported from regions of North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australasia.

Allocetraria corrugata is a species of foliose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae. It is found in high-elevation locations in Yunnan, China, where it grows on rocks with mosses.

<i>Wetmoreana</i> Genus of lichens

Wetmoreana is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It comprises 15 formally described species, one subspecies, and three undescribed species of crustose or squamulose that are predominantly saxicolous (rock-dwelling). The genus is characterized by its distinct lobes, orange zeorine apothecia when present, and the frequent occurrence of asexual propagules such as schizidia, isidia, or soredia. A key diagnostic feature is the presence of calcium oxalate crystals in the thallus medulla of many species.

Filsoniana lhasanensis is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is found in Tibet, where it grows on rocks at altitudes between 4,200 and 4,432 m. This species is defined by its reduced, vivid orange appearance and unique, aggregated reproductive structures.

Upretia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It has three species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichens. Upretia is characterised by its small ascospores and narrow, rod-shaped conidia. The distribution of the genus ranges from mid-altitude rocky terrains in India to both arid and higher altitudinal environments in China.

Pyrenodesmia micromontana is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. 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.

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.

Placolecis kunmingensis is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Catillariaceae. It is found in Yunnan, China. The lichen is characterised by a thallus that is areolate to squamulose in its centre, forming irregular patches or clumps 10–50 mm wide, as well as its ellipsoid or spherical ascospores with slightly thickened wall.

Placolecis sublaevis is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Catillariaceae. It is found in Yunnan and Sichuan, China. The crust-like, radiating body of the lichen forms irregular patches or clumps and includes numerous false conidiomata, a type of asexual reproductive structure, within its thallus. Its lobes, dark brown and slightly flattened at the top, form larger groups at the edges and contain an upper layer composed of loosely interwoven cells and a lower inner tissue that varies from reddish-orange to white.

Filsoniana ferdinandmuelleri is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is found in Australia. The lichen has a squamulose (scaly) thallus, with a range of bright yellow to greenish-yellow and brownish-orange colours in its soredia and apothecia, respectively. The areoles of this lichen are varied in size, slightly raised from the thallus surface, and each carries one to four apothecia. The soralia are rounded or irregularly shaped, covering most of the thallus surface as a yellow to greenish-yellow mass. The apothecia have dark brownish-orange discs, surrounded by slightly paler yellow margins, with the spore-bearing asci containing typically eight brownish-golden ascospores.

<i>Coppinsiella</i> Genus of lichens

Coppinsiella is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It contains five species of corticolous and saxicolous crustose lichens with a distribution in Europe, Asia, and North America. Coppinsiella bears resemblance to the genus Athallia, but it is distinguished by its more developed thallus, typically featuring distinctive crater-like soralia and zeorine-form apothecia, which lack a thalline margin.

<i>Lecaimmeria</i> Genus of lichens

Lecaimmeria is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Lecideaceae. Established in 2022, it comprises 13 species of lichens that grow on rock surfaces (saxicolous) and form a thin, crust-like covering (crustose) on their substrate. These lichens are characterised by their glossy, orange to red-brown outer layer (thallus) and sunken fruiting bodies (apothecia) with red-brown centres. Lecaimmeria species are typically found in harsh environments at high altitudes or latitudes, particularly in mountainous regions of western China and across parts of Eurasia. The genus was created to accommodate species previously classified under Immersaria that shared certain distinct features, following molecular analysis that revealed they formed a separate group.

Pseudoheppia is a fungal genus in the family Lichinaceae. It contains a single species, Pseudoheppia schuleri, a saxicolous (rock-dwelling) squamulose lichen.

<i>Gloeoheppia</i> Genus of lichens

Gloeoheppia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Gloeoheppiaceae. It comprises five species. The genus is distinguished from similar-looking lichens like Heppia by its internal structure, the nature of its photobiont, and details of its reproductive structures.

Pseudopeltula is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Gloeoheppiaceae. Established in 1995 by the lichenologist Aino Henssen, the genus currently includes four recognised species. These small cyanolichens are characterised by their squamulose (scaly) to peltate (shield-shaped) thalli, which lack a lower cortex and are attached to the substrate by rhizines. A key feature of Pseudopeltula is its complex apothecia, which have hymenia that often become divided by sterile tissue as they mature. The genus is primarily found in arid and semi-arid regions of North America, Mexico, and the Caribbean, where species typically grow on soil, rock, or thin soil over rock, often forming part of biological soil crusts in desert environments.

Peltula polycarpa is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), squamulose lichen in the family Peltulaceae. First described in 2022, it is endemic to Beijing's Mentougou District in China.

Peltula submarginata is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), squamulose lichen in the family Peltulaceae, first described in 2022. It occurs in China.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Zhang, Yan Yun; Wang, Xin Yu; Li, Li Juan; Søchting, Ulrik; Yin, An Cheng; Wang, Shi Qiong; Wang, Li Song (2019). "Upretia squamulosa, a new lichen species from the arid valley of Jinsha-jiang River, China". Phytotaxa. 402 (6): 288–294. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.402.6.3.
  2. "Upretia squamulosa Y.Y. Zhang & Li S. Wang". Catalogue of Life . Species 2000: Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  3. Kondratyuk, S.Y.; Persson, P.E.; Hansson, M.; Mishra, G.K.; Nayaka, S.; Liu, D.; Hur, J.S.; Thell, A. (2018). "Upretia, a new caloplacoid lichen genus (Teloschistaceae, lichen-forming Ascomycota) from India". Cryptogam Biodiversity and Assessment. S2018: 22–31. doi:10.21756/cab.v3i01.esp5 (inactive 5 November 2024).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)