''Cladonia vescula'' is a species of fruticose lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. It is known for its small size and unique chemical composition. It can be found in the montane

cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud c ...

s and pre-Andean

Amazonian forest The Amazon rainforest, Amazon jungle or ; es, Selva amazónica, , or usually ; french: Forêt amazonienne; nl, Amazoneregenwoud. In English, the names are sometimes capitalized further, as Amazon Rainforest, Amazon Forest, or Amazon Jungle. ...

s of

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

and Peru, where it grows on mineral soil mixed with

humus In classical soil science, humus is the dark organic matter in soil that is formed by the decomposition of plant and animal matter. It is a kind of soil organic matter. It is rich in nutrients and retains moisture in the soil. Humus is the Lati ...

. This species closely resembles ''

Cladonia peziziformis ''Cladonia peziziformis'' or the turban cup lichen is a species of cup lichen A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g ...

'' and ''

Cladonia corymbosula ''Cladonia'' is a genus of moss-like lichens in the family Cladoniaceae. They are the primary food source for reindeer/caribou. ''Cladonia'' species are of economic importance to reindeer-herders, such as the Sami in Scandinavia or the Nenets ...

'' in morphology, but it is more slender and almost entirely lacking a .

Taxonomy

''Cladonia vescula'' was first formally described by lichenologists

Teuvo Ahti Teuvo ("Ted") Tapio Ahti (born 1934) is a Finnish botanist and lichenologist. He has had a long career at the University of Helsinki that started in 1963, and then following his retirement in 1997, at the Botanical Museum of the Finnish Museum ...

, Martin Kukwa, and Adam Flakus in a 2016 scientific study. The type specimen was collected near Consata village ( Larecaja Province,

La Paz La Paz (), officially known as Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Spanish pronunciation: ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With an estimated 816,044 residents as of 2020, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities ...

, Bolivia) at an altitude of .

Molecular A molecule is a group of two or more atoms held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions which satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemistry, and bioche ...

analyses have supported the specific status of this species. It is part of the genus '' Cladonia'' and appears together with ''

Cladonia signata ''Cladonia'' is a genus of moss-like lichens in the family Cladoniaceae. They are the primary food source for reindeer/caribou. ''Cladonia'' species are of economic importance to reindeer-herders, such as the Sami in Scandinavia or the Nenets ...

'' in a rather isolated

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

within the

supergroup Supergroup or super group may refer to: * Supergroup (music), a music group formed by artists who are already notable or respected in their fields * Supergroup (physics), a generalization of groups, used in the study of supersymmetry * Supergroup ...

''Cladonia''. The

species epithet Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany) A botanical name ...

''vescula'' is derived from the Latin word ''vesculus'' ("poor" or "thin"), referring to the small size of the lichen.

Description

This lichen species is characterized by its small size, with consisting of small, esorediate squamules measuring 0.4–2.5 by 0.3–1.0 mm. The podetia, which are 3–13 mm tall, are slender and often , with a surface that is almost completely ecorticate. The hymenial are sessile on the podetial tips, ranging from dark to pale brown in colour. ''Cladonia vescula'' has two

chemotype A chemotype (sometimes chemovar) is a chemically distinct entity in a plant or microorganism, with differences in the composition of the secondary metabolites. Minor genetic and epigenetic changes with little or no effect on morphology or anatomy m ...

s, with the first one containing homosekikaic acid,

sekikaic acid Sekikaic acid is an organic compound in the structural class of chemicals known as depsides. It is found in some lichens. First isolated from '' Ramalina sekika'', it is a fairly common lichen product in ''Ramalina'' and ''Cladonia'', both genera ...

, and fumarprotocetraric acid, and the second one containing only fumarprotocetraric acid.

Habitat and distribution

''Cladonia vescula'' is known to exist only in

and Peru. It can be found in Yungas montane

s and pre-Andean

s, where it grows on mineral soil mixed with

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q107569347 vescula Lichen species Lichens described in 2016 Taxa named by Teuvo Ahti Taxa named by Adam Grzegorz Flakus Lichens of Bolivia Lichens of Peru Taxa named by Martin Kukwa

Taxonomy

Description

Habitat and distribution

See also

References