| Astrothelium stromatofluorescens | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Dothideomycetes |
| Order: | Trypetheliales |
| Family: | Trypetheliaceae |
| Genus: | Astrothelium |
| Species: | A. stromatofluorescens
|
| Binomial name | |
| Astrothelium stromatofluorescens
Aptroot & M.Cáceres (2016)
| |
Astrothelium stromatofluorescens is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichen in the family Trypetheliaceae. It is only known to occur in a few locations in Brazil and Bolivia.
Taxonomy
The lichen was formally described as a new species in 2016 by lichenologists André Aptroot and Marcela Cáceres. The type specimen was collected by the authors from the Parque Natural Municipal de Porto Velho ( Porto Velho, Rondônia), where it was found growing on tree bark in a primary rainforest. The species epithet stromatofluorescens refers to the fluorescent properties of its pseudostromata. [1]
Description
The lichen has a smooth, somewhat shiny, pale ochraceous-green thallus with a cortex surrounded by a thin (0.2 mm) black prothallus line. The ascomata are spherical, measuring 0.2–0.5 mm in diameter, and arranged in groups of 7 to 50 in pseudostromata (a stroma in which fungal cells and bits of host tissue are mixed). The ascospores, which number eight per ascus, are hyaline, spindle-shaped (fusiform) with rounded edges, and measure 20–23 by 7–9 μm. The spores have 3 transverse septa that form diamond-shaped cavities (lumina), and are ensheathed in a gelatinous layer up to 6 μm thick. [1]
The pseudostromata contain lichexanthone, a lichen product that causes these structures to fluoresce a yellow colour when lit with a long-wavelength UV light. A similar species, Astrothelium phlyctaena, is distinguished by having lichexanthone in both the pseudostromata and the thallus. [1]
Habitat and distribution
Astrothelium stromatofluorescens is only known to occur in Brazil and Bolivia. In addition to the type locality in Rondônia, it has also been recorded in Amazonas. [2] In Bolivia, it was found in the Ríos Blanco y Negro Wildlife Reserve ( Santa Cruz). [3]
References
- ^ a b c Aptroot, André; Cáceres, Marcela Eugenia da Silva (2016). "New Trypetheliaceae from the Amazon basin in Rondônia (Brazil), the centre of diversity of the genus Astrothelium". The Lichenologist. 48 (6): 693–712. doi: 10.1017/s0024282915000584. S2CID 89013757.
- ^ Aptroot, André; Cavalcante, Janice Gomes; Santos, Lidiane Alves dos; Oliveira Junior, Isaias; Lima, Dayane de Oliveira; Cáceres, Marcela Eugenia da Silva (2021). "Checklist of the lichens of The Reserva Florestal Adolphe Ducke in Manaus (Amazonas, Brazil)". Mycotaxon. 136 (3): 685. doi: 10.5248/136.685. S2CID 243815217.
- ^ Flakus, Adam; Kukwa, Martin; Aptroot, André (2016). "Trypetheliaceae of Bolivia: an updated checklist with descriptions of twenty-four new species". The Lichenologist. 48 (6): 661–692. doi: 10.1017/s0024282915000559. S2CID 89161746.
| Astrothelium stromatofluorescens | |
|---|---|
|
Scientific classification
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Dothideomycetes |
| Order: | Trypetheliales |
| Family: | Trypetheliaceae |
| Genus: | Astrothelium |
| Species: | A. stromatofluorescens
|
| Binomial name | |
| Astrothelium stromatofluorescens
Aptroot & M.Cáceres (2016)
| |
Astrothelium stromatofluorescens is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichen in the family Trypetheliaceae. It is only known to occur in a few locations in Brazil and Bolivia.
Taxonomy
The lichen was formally described as a new species in 2016 by lichenologists André Aptroot and Marcela Cáceres. The type specimen was collected by the authors from the Parque Natural Municipal de Porto Velho ( Porto Velho, Rondônia), where it was found growing on tree bark in a primary rainforest. The species epithet stromatofluorescens refers to the fluorescent properties of its pseudostromata. [1]
Description
The lichen has a smooth, somewhat shiny, pale ochraceous-green thallus with a cortex surrounded by a thin (0.2 mm) black prothallus line. The ascomata are spherical, measuring 0.2–0.5 mm in diameter, and arranged in groups of 7 to 50 in pseudostromata (a stroma in which fungal cells and bits of host tissue are mixed). The ascospores, which number eight per ascus, are hyaline, spindle-shaped (fusiform) with rounded edges, and measure 20–23 by 7–9 μm. The spores have 3 transverse septa that form diamond-shaped cavities (lumina), and are ensheathed in a gelatinous layer up to 6 μm thick. [1]
The pseudostromata contain lichexanthone, a lichen product that causes these structures to fluoresce a yellow colour when lit with a long-wavelength UV light. A similar species, Astrothelium phlyctaena, is distinguished by having lichexanthone in both the pseudostromata and the thallus. [1]
Habitat and distribution
Astrothelium stromatofluorescens is only known to occur in Brazil and Bolivia. In addition to the type locality in Rondônia, it has also been recorded in Amazonas. [2] In Bolivia, it was found in the Ríos Blanco y Negro Wildlife Reserve ( Santa Cruz). [3]
References
- ^ a b c Aptroot, André; Cáceres, Marcela Eugenia da Silva (2016). "New Trypetheliaceae from the Amazon basin in Rondônia (Brazil), the centre of diversity of the genus Astrothelium". The Lichenologist. 48 (6): 693–712. doi: 10.1017/s0024282915000584. S2CID 89013757.
- ^ Aptroot, André; Cavalcante, Janice Gomes; Santos, Lidiane Alves dos; Oliveira Junior, Isaias; Lima, Dayane de Oliveira; Cáceres, Marcela Eugenia da Silva (2021). "Checklist of the lichens of The Reserva Florestal Adolphe Ducke in Manaus (Amazonas, Brazil)". Mycotaxon. 136 (3): 685. doi: 10.5248/136.685. S2CID 243815217.
- ^ Flakus, Adam; Kukwa, Martin; Aptroot, André (2016). "Trypetheliaceae of Bolivia: an updated checklist with descriptions of twenty-four new species". The Lichenologist. 48 (6): 661–692. doi: 10.1017/s0024282915000559. S2CID 89161746.