''Caloplaca lecanorocarpa'' is a species of
saxicolous (rock-dwelling),
crustose lichen in the family
Teloschistaceae
The Teloschistaceae are a large family of mostly lichen-forming fungi belonging to the class Lecanoromycetes in the division Ascomycota. The family, estimated to contain over 1800 species, was extensively revised in 2013, including the creation o ...
.
Found in Brazil, it was
formally described as a new species in 2016 by the lichenologists
André Aptroot
André Aptroot (Heemskerk, 1961) is a Dutch mycologist and lichenologist.
In 1993 he did his PhD at the University of Utrecht under the supervision of Robbert Gradstein (nl). His dissertation was titled "Systematic studies on pyrenocarpous li ...
and Marcela Cáceres. It is named for its overall appearance to lichens in the ''
Lecanora subfusca
''Lecanora'' is a genus of lichen commonly called rim lichens.Field Guide to California Lichens, Stephen Sharnoff, Yale University Press, 2014, Lichens in the genus ''Squamarina'' are also called rim lichens. Members of the genus have roughly ci ...
''
species complex.
Description
The
thallus of ''Caloplaca lecanorocarpa'' is
crustose (crust-like) and (having a protective outer layer), slightly shiny, and grey in colour. The (small patches on the thallus) range from round to angular, measuring approximately 0.2–1.0 mm in diameter, and rest on a black (a layer below the thallus). The thallus is about 100–220
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 ...
thick, with a loosely arranged
medulla (inner layer) and a cortex containing
atranorin crystals, which are about 10–18 μm thick. The cells within the lichen are (round,
green algae
The green algae (singular: green alga) are a group consisting of the Prasinodermophyta and its unnamed sister which contains the Chlorophyta and Charophyta/Streptophyta. The land plants (Embryophytes) have emerged deep in the Charophyte alga as ...
) and measure roughly 6–11 μm in diameter.
The
apothecia (fruiting bodies) are numerous, scattered, and , ranging from 0.4 to 1.0 mm in diameter and 0.3–0.7 mm in height. They have a concave, glossy, chocolate brown and a grey, glossy, incurved margin with some incisions, raised significantly above the disc. The margin's is similar in structure to the thallus, while the
hymenium
The hymenium is the tissue layer on the hymenophore of a fungal fruiting body where the cells develop into basidia or asci, which produce spores. In some species all of the cells of the hymenium develop into basidia or asci, while in others some ...
(spore-bearing layer) is not and measures 75–95 μm high. The
paraphyses
Paraphyses are erect sterile filament-like support structures occurring among the reproductive apparatuses of fungi, ferns, bryophytes and some thallophytes. The singular form of the word is paraphysis.
In certain fungi, they are part of the fe ...
(filamentous structures in the hymenium) are sparingly branched and widen at the tips. Each
ascus
An ascus (; ) is the sexual spore-bearing cell produced in ascomycete fungi. Each ascus usually contains eight ascospores (or octad), produced by meiosis followed, in most species, by a mitotic cell division. However, asci in some genera or s ...
contains eight
hyaline
A hyaline substance is one with a glassy appearance. The word is derived from el, ὑάλινος, translit=hyálinos, lit=transparent, and el, ὕαλος, translit=hýalos, lit=crystal, glass, label=none.
Histopathology
Hyaline cartilage is ...
,
ellipsoid
An ellipsoid is a surface that may be obtained from a sphere by deforming it by means of directional scalings, or more generally, of an affine transformation.
An ellipsoid is a quadric surface; that is, a surface that may be defined as the ...
, ascospores, around twice as long as they are wide, with a
septum
In biology, a septum (Latin for ''something that encloses''; plural septa) is a wall, dividing a cavity or structure into smaller ones. A cavity or structure divided in this way may be referred to as septate.
Examples
Human anatomy
* Interatri ...
occupying about half of their length.
Chemical analysis reveals that both the thallus and apothecium margin react positively to a solution of
potassium hydroxide (i.e., the K
spot test) with a yellow colouration.
Thin-layer chromatography shows the presence of atranorin and a
terpenoid compound.
Habitat and distribution
''Caloplaca lecanorocarpa'' was first documented in
Açude Cedro,
Ceará
Ceará (, pronounced locally as or ) is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It is the eighth-largest Brazilian State by population and the 17th by area. It is also one of the ...
, Brazil, specifically on a vertical
gneiss face on an
inselberg within
Caatinga forest at an elevation of about . It is known to occur only in this region in Brazil and is found growing in association with several other lichen species such as ''
Buellia dejungens'', ''
Sucioplaca diplacia'', and ''
Thelenella brasiliensis
''Thelenella'' is a genus of lichen-forming fungi in the family Thelenellaceae. It has 30 species. The genus was circumscribed by Finnish lichenologist William Nylander in 1855, with ''Thelenella modesta'' assigned as the type species.
Species
...
''.
See also
*
List of ''Caloplaca'' species
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q107539409
lecanorocarpa
Lichen species
Lichens described in 2016
Lichens of Northeast Brazil
Taxa named by André Aptroot
Taxa named by Marcela Cáceres