Wetmoreana intensa

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Wetmoreana intensa
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Lecanoromycetes
Order: Teloschistales
Family: Teloschistaceae
Genus: Wetmoreana
Species:
W. intensa
Binomial name
Wetmoreana intensa
(Aptroot & M.Cáceres) Wilk & Lücking (2024)
Synonyms [1]
  • Fulgogasparrea intensa Aptroot & M.Cáceres (2021)

Wetmoreana intensa is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is found in the Caatinga biome in Sergipe, Northeast Brazil.

Contents

Taxonomy

Wetmoreana intensa was scientifically described as a new species in 2021 by the lichenologists André Aptroot and Marcela Cáceres under the name Fulgogasparrea intensa. The type specimen was collected by the authors in the Trilha Cangaço Eco Parque in Poço Redondo, where it was found growing on exposed granite bedrock. [2] In 2024, a study by Karina Wilk and Robert Lücking synonymised the genus Fulgogasparrea with Wetmoreana , resulting in the new combination Wetmoreana intensa. [1]

Description

The lichen is characterised by its cinnabar red, appressed thallus made of angular areoles that transition to lobes that are elongated at the margins. The thalli are up to 5 cm (2 in) in diameter and up to 0.2 mm thick. Neither apothecia nor pycnidia (structures for sexual and asexual reproduction, respectively) were observed in the type. Thin-layer chromatography analysis of the lichen thallus showed the presence of an anthraquinone substance. [2]

Wetmoreana intensa is phylogenetically close to W. brouardii , but differs "markedly" from that species in terms of morphology. [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>Cryptothecia</i> Genus of lichens

Cryptothecia is a genus of white to greenish crustose lichens that grow on bark, wood, or leaves, in tropical or subtropical areas worldwide. It has a conspicuous prothallus that develops around its periphery which can be bright red in some species, hence the common name wreath lichen. The main vegetative body (thallus) lacks a cortex (ecorticate and is often immersed in the substrate or byssoid. The medulla is white, well defined, and often peppered with calcium oxalate crystals. Ascomata are not well defined, being cushions of soft white mycelium immersed in the medullary tissue, hence the name from the Greek krypto = "to conceal" and theke = "a container or sheath". It contains Trentepohlia, a green alga, as its photobiont partner.

<i>Astrothelium</i> Genus of lichens

Astrothelium is a large genus of corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichens in the family Trypetheliaceae. The genus is characterized by a corticate thallus and diverse ascomata structures, which can be simple, aggregated, or forming pseudostromata. Astrothelium is also notable for the carbonized walls of its ascomata, the so-called textura intricata arrangement of cells in these walls, and various forms of distoseptate, transparent spores.

Trypethelium is a genus of lichenized fungi in the family Trypetheliaceae. The widespread genus contains about 50 species that are predominantly found in tropical areas. Trypethelium was circumscribed by German botanist Kurt Polycarp Joachim Sprengel in 1804.

Wetmoreana decipioides is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling) crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. It is found in Gangwon Province, South Korea. This species was originally described in 2011 by Ulf Arup as a member of the large genus Caloplaca. The specific epithet decipioides refers to its similarity with Caloplaca decipiens. Arup and colleagues transferred it to genus Wetmoreana in 2013. It was briefly placed in the genus Fulgogasparrea later that year, but a study by Wilk and Lücking in 2024 synonymised Fulgogasparrea with Wetmoreana, confirming the placement of this species in Wetmoreana.

<i>Malmidea</i> Genus of lichen-forming fungi

Malmidea is a genus of crustose lichens and the type genus of the family Malmideaceae. It was established in 2011 to contain a phylogenetically distinct group of species formerly placed in the genus Malcolmiella. The crust-like thallus of Malmidea lichens has a surface that varies from smooth to rough, featuring textures such as verrucose (wart-like), granulose (grainy), or pustulate (pimpled). These textures are often formed by goniocysts, which are spherical clusters of green algal cells from the family Chlorococcaceae, encased in fungal hyphae. Malmidea comprises nearly 70 mostly tropical species that grow on bark, although a few grow on leaves.

<i>Neoprotoparmelia</i> Genus of fungi

Neoprotoparmelia is a genus of crustose lichens that was created in 2018. It contains 24 tropical and subtropical species that mostly grow on bark. Neoprotoparmelia is in the subfamily Protoparmelioideae of the family Parmeliaceae, along with the morphologically similar genera Protoparmelia and Maronina.

Cladonia minisaxicola is a rare species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling) lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. Found in Bahia, Brazil, it was formally described as a new species in 2018 by lichenologists André Aptroot and Marcela Eugenia da Silva Cáceres. The type specimen was collected by the authors from the Serrano along Rio de Lençóis at an altitude between 450 and 500 m ; here the lichen was found growing on siliceous sandstone rock in a transitional forest. Cladonia minisaxicola is only known to occur at the type locality, and is only known from the type specimen. The lichen has a crustose thallus that consists of lobe-like nodes that collectively form an irregular crust measuring up to 4 cm (1.6 in) in diameter. Although it differs from all other species of Cladonia in the form of its non-squamulose primary thallus, its position in that genus has been confirmed with molecular phylogenetic analysis. The specific epithet minisaxicola acknowledges its small size and saxicolous growth.

Acanthothecis saxicola is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling) lichen in the family Graphidaceae. Found in Brazil, it was formally described as a new species in 2022 by André Aptroot, Robert Lücking, and Marcela Eugenia da Silva M.Cáceres. The type specimen was collected near Poço Azul at an altitude of 450 m (1,480 ft); here, in a cerrado forest, it was found growing on an overhanging sandstone. The lichen has an ochraceous white thallus lacking a cortex and a prothallus. Its asci contains eight spores, and the ascospores are hyaline, measuring 22–30 by 5 μm with 6 to 8 transverse septa. Acanthothecis saxicola contains stictic acid, a lichen product detectable using thin-layer chromatography.

Wilketalia is a fungal genus in the family Teloschistaceae. It is monotypic, containing the single species Wilketalia citrinoides, a saxicolous (rock-dwelling) crustose lichen found in the Bolivian Andes.

Astrothelium bivelum is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Trypetheliaceae. Found in Brazil, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by lichenologists André Aptroot and Marcela Cáceres. The type specimen was collected by the authors in the Parque Natural Municipal de Porto Velho, in a primary rainforest. The lichen has a smooth and somewhat shiny, ochraceous-green thallus with a 0.4 cm-wide rough and irregular prothallus; the thallus covers areas of up to 3 cm (1.2 in) in diameter. The presence of the lichen does not induce the formation of galls in the host. The ascomata are pear-shaped (pyriform), measure 0.5–0.7 mm in diameter, typically aggregate in groups of two to six, and are usually immersed in the bark tissue. The characteristics that distinguish it from other members of Astrothelium include the diffusely pseudostromatic, erumpent ascomata that are covered by thallus and have an external pink pigment, with each containing a single group of fused ascomata; and the 5-septate ascospores. A. bivelum is one of the few Astrothelium-like species with 5-septate ascospores that does not contain lichexanthone.

Astrothelium eustomurale is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Trypetheliaceae. Found in Brazil, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by lichenologists André Aptroot and Marcela Cáceres. The type specimen was collected by the authors in the Parque Natural Municipal de Porto Velho, in a low-altitude primary rainforest. The lichen has a smooth and somewhat shiny, pale yellowish-grey thallus that lacks a prothallus and covers areas of up to 12 cm (4.7 in) in diameter. The presence of the lichen does not induce the formation of galls in the host. The ascomata are pear-shaped (pyriform) and typically occur in aggregates of two to five, usually immersed in the bark tissue under the pseudostromata and with a whitish-coloured tissue that contrasts with the surrounding thallus. Black pycnidia are abundant on the pseudostromata. The area around and including the ostiole of the ascomata contains lichexanthone, a lichen product that causes these areas to glow yellow when lit with a long-wavelength UV light. The characteristics that distinguish it from other members of Astrothelium include the UV+ yellow nature of the ostiole; and the fused, erumpent pseudostromatic ascomata that have a white cover contrasting it with the thallus colour.

Aridoplaca is a fungal genus in the family Teloschistaceae. It is a monotypic genus, containing the single saxicolous (rock-dwelling) squamulose lichen species Aridoplaca peltata, found in South America. The genus was circumscribed in 2021 by Karina Wilk, Maciej Pabijan, and Robert Lücking, following molecular phylogenetic analysis that showed the species occupies a distinct lineage in the subfamily Xanthorioideae of the Teloschistaceae. The species epithet peltata refers to the squamulose and peltate thallus, while the genus name refers to the habitat of the lichen, which occurs in arid areas of Bolivia and Peru. It grows in well-lit areas on siliceous rocks at altitudes between 3,500 and 4,500 m.

<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.

Neosergipea is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Roccellaceae. It has four species, all of which are corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichens that are found in the tropical forests of Brazil. This genus is related to the genera Dichosporidium, Enterographa, and Erythrodecton. It distinguishes itself through unique morphological characteristics and certain chemical constituents, in particular, its non-carbonised ascomata and the presence of a vivid orange anthraquinone compound.

Neosergipea bicolor is a rare species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Arthoniaceae. Found only in Brazil and described as a new species in 2017, Neosergipea bicolor is characterised its dual-coloured appearance.

Neosergipea hyphosa is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichen in the family Roccellaceae. This lichen species is uniquely characterised by its olive-green thallus—a type of vegetative tissue—and spherical ascomata, or fungal reproductive structures. It is most commonly found on tree bark in Brazil. The name hyphosa alludes to the distinct hyphose surface of the thallus.

<i>Wetmoreana appressa</i> Species of lichen

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

Allographa hypostictica is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Graphidaceae, Found in Brazil, it was described as a new species in 2018. Its thallus contains hypostictic acid and its distinctive apothecia and ascospores.

Caloplaca lecanorocarpa is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. Found in Brazil, it was formally described as a new species in 2016 by the lichenologists André Aptroot and Marcela Cáceres. It is named for its overall appearance to lichens in the Lecanora subfusca species complex.

Caloplaca lecapustulata is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Teloschistaceae. Found in Brazil, it was described as a new species in 2016.

References

  1. 1 2 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 .
  2. 1 2 3 Aptroot, André; dos Santos, Lidiane Alves; da Silva Cáceres, Marcela Eugenia (2021). "Saxicolous lichens in the semi-arid Caatinga in Brazil show substratum shifts". Cryptogamie, Mycologie. 42 (11): 181–189. doi:10.5252/cryptogamie-mycologie2021v42a11.