''Cora hirsuta'' (previously ''Dictyonema hirsutum'') is a species of basidiolichen in the family

Hygrophoraceae The Hygrophoraceae are a family of fungi in the order Agaricales. Originally conceived as containing white-spored, thick-gilled agarics (gilled mushrooms), including ''Hygrophorus'' and ''Hygrocybe'' species (the waxcaps or waxy caps), DNA evide ...

. Found in the

páramo Páramo () can refer to a variety of alpine tundra ecosystems located in the Andes Mountain Range, South America. Some ecologists describe the páramo broadly as "all high, tropical, montane vegetation above the continuous timberline". A narrower ...

region near

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the larges ...

at over elevation, it was described as new to science in 2011. The lichen, characterised by its distinctively hairy upper surface and smaller , thrives in a variety of habitats, including soil, bryophytes, and as

epiphyte An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

s on trees.

Taxonomy

''Cora hirsuta'' was first described by lichenologists Bibiana Moncada and

Robert Lücking Robert Lücking (born 1964) is a German lichenologist. He is a leading expert on foliicolous lichens–lichens that live on leaves. Life and career Born in Ulm in 1964, Lücking earned both his master's (1990) and PhD degree (1994) at the Univer ...

as the new species ''Dictyonema hirsutum'', distinct from ''

Dictyonema glabratum ''Dictyonema'' is a genus of mainly tropical basidiolichens in the family Hygrophoraceae. The ''Dictyonema'' symbiosis Most lichens are a symbiosis between an ascomycete fungus and a photosynthetic green alga. However, a small percentage of ...

'' due to its hairy thallus. The type specimen was collected in August 2008 from the Reserva Natural Matarredonda in Choachí, Cundinamarca, Colombia. The species name ''hirsuta'' is derived from the Latin word for hairy, referring to the lichen's conspicuously hairy upper surface. Moncada and Lücking transferred the taxon to the genus ''

Cora Cora may refer to: Science * ''Cora'' (fungus), a genus of lichens * ''Cora'' (damselfly), a genus of damselflies * CorA metal ion transporter, a Mg2+ influx system People * Cora (name), a given name and surname * Cora E. (born 1968), German hi ...

'' in 2013.

Description

The thallus of ''Cora hirsuta'' is foliose, featuring semicircular to lobes ranging from in diameter and 200–300 μm in thickness. The upper surface is densely covered with obliquely oriented, white trichomes, which are 0.3–0.5 mm long and 20–30

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 at the base. These trichomes give the lichen its characteristic hairy appearance. The area near the lobe margin is usually and olive-green, while the rest of the surface appears white. The lower surface is , finely felty-, and mottled pale brownish to bluish grey. ''Cora hirsuta'' is distinguished from the similar ''D. glabratum'' by its densely hairy upper surface and smaller lobes. It is possible that ''Cora pavonia'' f. ''villosa'' may represent the same taxon, but this has not been confirmed. Another similar species is '' Cora byssoidea'', also found in Colombia at the same locality. It differs by its solely epiphytic growth, and tomentum that is only marginally present.

Habitat and distribution

''Cora hirsuta'' is known to inhabit the

region near Bogota, Colombia, at elevations above . The foliose forms of the genus ''Dictyonema'' are the most commonly collected basidiolichens, often found growing on soil, between bryophytes or as

s on trees. Because of its small thalli, ''Cora hirsuta'', however, can easily be overlooked among vegetation, although it is quite conspicuous up close due to its peculiar morphology.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q16981349 hirsuta Lichen species Páramo fungi Lichens of Colombia Altiplano Cundiboyacense Lichens described in 2011 Taxa named by Robert Lücking