Wetmoreana appressa

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Wetmoreana appressa
Fulgogasparrea appressa 984895.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Lecanoromycetes
Order: Teloschistales
Family: Teloschistaceae
Genus: Wetmoreana
Species:
W. appressa
Binomial name
Wetmoreana appressa
(Wetmore & Kärnefelt) Arup, Søchting & Frödén (2013)
Synonyms [1]
  • Caloplaca appressaWetmore & Kärnefelt (1998)
  • Fulgogasparrea appressa(Wetmore & Kärnefelt) S.Y.Kondr., Elix, Kärnefelt & A.Thell (2015)

Wetmoreana appressa is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. [2] It has a widespread distribution in western Mexico, including Baja California. It is characterized by its vibrant colors, unique shape, and specific habitat preferences.

Contents

Taxonomy

Caloplaca appressa was scientifically described as a member of the genus Caloplaca by lichenologists Clifford Wetmore and Ingvar Kärnefelt in 1998. [3] Ulf Arup and colleagues transferred it to the genus Wetmoreana in 2013, as part of a molecular phylogenetics-directed restructuring of the family Teloschistaceae. [4] It was briefly placed in the genus Fulgogasparrea in 2015. [5] However, a study by Wilk and Lücking in 2024 synonymized Fulgogasparrea with Wetmoreana, confirming the placement of this species in Wetmoreana. [6]

The species epithet appressa alludes to the tightly appressed nature of its thallus to the rock substrate . The type specimen for this species was discovered in Sonora, Mexico, specifically 72 miles east of Hermosillo on the road to Sahuaripa, situated in a thorn forest on rhyolite (a silica-rich volcanic rock) at an elevation of about 1,900 ft (580 m). [3]

Description

The thallus of Wetmoreana appressa displays a spectrum of colors from yellowish-orange to orange. The central portion of this thallus has a patchy or areolate appearance with slightly raised patches. The lichen's margins are characterized by distinct lobes that broaden slightly at their tips. These lobes, often tightly adhered to rock surfaces, vary in size, typically falling between 0.4 and 2.2 mm in length and 0.2–0.9 mm in width. The thallus is relatively thick, reaching up to 600  μm. [6]

The apothecia , which are reproductive structures, can either be sessile or slightly raised. These have a reddish-orange disc and are encircled by a thin thalline margin . The spores measure around 10–15 by 5.5–8 μm with a septum thickness of 4.5–9 μm. Further, the presence of pycnidia , small structures, is also noted, which are red in color. The conidia have a short bacilliform shape, measuring 3.5 μm in length on average. [6]

A distinctive feature of W. appressa is the presence of calcium oxalate crystals in the medulla of the thallus, visible under polarized light. [6] Standard chemical spot tests results are K+ (red) on the thallus and epihymenium, with all other tests negative. [3]

Habitat and distribution

Wetmoreana appressa grows on various types of acidic rocks situated in exposed environments. Its presence is predominantly noted in western parts of Mexico and in regions of Baja California. [3] It has been found at elevations up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft) above sea level. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teloschistaceae</span> Family of lichen-forming fungi

The Teloschistaceae are a large family of mostly lichen-forming fungi belonging to the class Lecanoromycetes in the division Ascomycota. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution, although its members occur predominantly in temperate regions. Most members are lichens that either live on rock or on bark, but about 40 species are lichenicolous – meaning they are non-lichenised fungi that live on other lichens. Many members of the Teloschistaceae are readily identifiable by their vibrant orange to yellow hue, a result of their frequent anthraquinone content. The presence of these anthraquinone pigments, which confer protection from ultraviolet light, enabled this group to expand from shaded forest habitats to harsher environmental conditions of sunny and arid ecosystems during the Late Cretaceous.

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

<i>Igneoplaca</i> Lichen genus

Igneoplaca is a genus in the subfamily Xanthorioideae of the family Teloschistaceae. It contains a single species, the crustose lichen Igneoplaca ignea.

Huneckia is a genus of crustose lichens in the subfamily Caloplacoideae of the family Teloschistaceae. It has four species.

<i>Neobrownliella</i> Genus of lichens

Neobrownliella is a genus of crustose lichens in the subfamily Teloschistoideae of the family Teloschistaceae. It has five species. The genus was circumscribed in 2015 by lichenologists Sergey Kondratyuk, Jack Elix, Ingvar Kärnefelt, and Arne Thell, with Neobrownliella brownlieae assigned as the type species. It is a segregate of the large genus Caloplaca. Characteristics of Neobrownliella include a thallus that is continuous or areolate, the presence of anthraquinones as lichen products, a cortical layer with a palisade paraplectenchyma, and the lack of a thick palisade cortical layer on the underside of the thalline exciple. Two species were included in the original circumscription of the genus; an additional three species were added in 2020.

<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.

Marchantiana is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It contains seven species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichens that occur in the Southern Hemisphere.

Eilifdahlia is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It contains three species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichens that occur in the Southern Hemisphere.

Elixjohnia gallowayi is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It has a vividly coloured thallus, ranging in hues from bright red to reddish-orange. It is found in Australia.

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.

Sirenophila cliffwetmorei is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is found in Australia. Its thallus can reach up to 1 centimetre in width, has a whitish to whitish-grey colour, and is very thin, sometimes almost merging with the substrate, and has paler edges with a darker grey centre. Its numerous tiny apothecia give the thallus a yellow-orange appearance.

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

Elixjohnia jackelixii is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is found in Australia and New Zealand. The lichen is characterised by its unique multilayered appearance with outer sterile rings that are brownish or greenish-yellow and inner areoles that are whitish, yellowish, or greyish, often cracked to reveal the medulla underneath. Its fruiting bodies, or apothecia, are typically attached directly to the thallus and vary in colour and shape.

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.

Yoshimuria is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It has four species of crustose lichens.

Marchantiana occidentalis is a species of corticolous and saxicolous, crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is found in Western Australia, usually as an inhabitant of dry twigs, bark, or wood of various plant species, but occasionally on granite rock outcrops. It forms a well-developed thallus, shiny and composed of tiny dark greenish to brown areoles, with sizes typically ranging from 5–15 mm, though larger aggregations are possible. It features numerous rounded apothecia scattered across its surface, varying in form and colour, with a distinct margin and disc.

Elenkiniana is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Teloschistaceae. It has three species, all of which occur in Eurasia.

References

  1. ↑ "Synonymy. Current Name: Fulgogasparrea appressa (Wetmore & Kärnefelt) S.Y. Kondr., Elix, Kärnefelt & A. Thell, in Kondratyuk, Kärnefelt, Thell, Elix, Kim, Kondratiuk & Hur, Acta bot. hung. 57(3-4): 339 (2015)". Species Fungorum . Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Fulgogasparrea appressa (Wetmore & Kärnefelt) S.Y. Kondr., Elix, Kärnefelt & A. Thell". Catalogue of Life . Species 2000: Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Wetmore, Clifford M.; Kärnefelt, Einar I. (1998). "The lobate and subfruticose species of Caloplaca in North and Central America". The Bryologist. 101 (2): 230–255. doi:10.2307/3244201. JSTOR   3244201.
  4. ↑ Arup, Ulf; Søchting, Ulrik; Frödén, Patrik (2013). "A new taxonomy of the family Teloschistaceae". Nordic Journal of Botany. 31 (1): 16–83. doi:10.1111/j.1756-1051.2013.00062.x.
  5. ↑ Kondratyuk, S.Y.; Kärnefelt, I.; Thell, A.; Elix, J.A.; Kim, J.; Kondratiuk, A. S.; Hur, J.-S. (2015). "Brownlielloideae, a new subfamily in the Teloschistaceae (Lecanoromycetes, Ascomycota)" (PDF). Acta Botanica Hungarica. 57 (3–4): 321–343. doi:10.1556/034.57.2015.3-4.6.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Wilk, Karina; Lücking, Robert (2024). "Quantitative integrative taxonomy informs species delimitation in Teloschistaceae (lichenized Ascomycota): the genus Wetmoreana as a case study". IMA Fungus. 15 (9): 1–42. doi: 10.1186/s43008-024-00140-1 . PMC   11225190 . PMID   38556886.
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