''Dirina indica'' is a species of
corticolous (bark-dwelling),
crustose lichen in the family
Roccellaceae.
It is found on the west coast of India (
Gujarat), the southern coast of the
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate ...
in
Yemen, and on
Socotra Island, where it grows on the bark of various trees and shrubs.
Taxonomy
The lichen was
formally described as a new species in 2013 by
and
Sanjeeva Nayaka
Sanjeeva Nayaka (Hindi: संजीव नायक; Kannada: ಸಂಜೀವ ನಾಯಕ) is an Indian lichenologist. He is Senior Principal Scientist at CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute (CSIR-NBRI), Lucknow. He is in charge of th ...
. The
type specimen was collected from
Pirotan Island in the
Marine National Park (
Arabian Sea). The
species epithet refers to India, the geographical region of its
type locality.
Description
''Dirina indica'' has a flat to slightly bumpy surface that is creamy white or whitish green in color and not covered in any powdery residue (). There are no
soralia
Soredia are common reproductive structures of lichens. Lichens reproduce asexually by employing simple fragmentation and production of soredia and isidia. Soredia are powdery propagules composed of fungal hyphae wrapped around cyanobacteria o ...
. The
ascomata, which are the fruiting bodies of the lichen, are circular, , and have a diameter of up to 0.5 mm. They have a powdery white and a smooth margin. The
ascospores are about 23–33
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 ...
long and 4 μm wide. The lichen has a chalky
medulla with loose
hypha
A hypha (; ) is a long, branching, filamentous structure of a fungus, oomycete, or actinobacterium. In most fungi, hyphae are the main mode of vegetative growth, and are collectively called a mycelium.
Structure
A hypha consists of one or ...
e near the , and a that is 20–30 μm thick.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q107643468
indica
Lichen species
Lichens described in 2013
Lichens of West Tropical Africa
Taxa named by Dalip Kumar Upreti