''Botryolepraria neotropica'' is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling),
byssoid
Lichens are composite organisms made up of multiple species: a fungal partner, one or more photosynthetic partners, and sometimes a basidiomycete yeast. They are regularly grouped by their external appearance – a characteristic known as their g ...
(cottony)
lichen
A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.Verrucariales. It was formally described as a new species in 2010 by Martin Kukwa and Sergio Pérez-Ortega. The
type specimen
In biology, a type is a particular wiktionary:en:specimen, specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to a ...
was collected growing with liverworts on shaded vertical walls in El Yunque ( Guantánamo province, Cuba). It also occurs in Bolivia and Peru, where it grows in shaded and damp locations. The species epithet refers to its Neotropical distribution. It is the second member of ''
Botryolepraria
''Botryolepraria'' is a genus of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), byssoid (cottony) lichens of uncertain familial placement in the order Verrucariales. It has two species. Both species grow in damp conditions, such as on cave walls, particularly in ...
'', a genus
circumscribed
In geometry, the circumscribed circle or circumcircle of a polygon is a circle that passes through all the vertices of the polygon. The center of this circle is called the circumcenter and its radius is called the circumradius.
Not every polyg ...
in 1997.
Although similar in external
morphology
Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to:
Disciplines
*Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts
*Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies, ...
, ''Botryolepraria neotropica'' can be distinguished from '' B. lesdainii'' by its larger granules (about 200
μm
The micrometre ( international spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American spelling), also commonly known as a micron, is a unit of length in the International System of Unit ...
in diameter, about twice that of ''B. lesdainii''). Additionally, ''B. neotropica'' does not produce the lichen productlesdainin, but only makes
zeorin
Zeorin is a triterpene with the molecular formula C30H52O2 which occurs in many lichens
A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among hypha, filaments of multiple fungus, fungi species in a mutu ...