''Fissurina verrucosa'' is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling)

script lichen A script lichen, or graphid lichen, is a member of a group of lichens which have spore producing structures that look like writing on the lichen body. The structures are elongated and narrow apothecia called lirellae, which look like short scribbles ...

in the family

Graphidaceae The Graphidaceae are a family of lichens in the order Ostropales. Distribution and ecology The vast majority of Graphidaceae species are restricted to the tropics. Most Graphidaceae species are epiphytic (i.e. they grow only on plants). Gener ...

. Found in

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

, India, it was formally described as a new species in 2007 by Urmila Makhija and Bharati Adawadkar. This species is characterized by its yellowish-brown and slightly glossy appearance. Its

thallus Thallus (plural: thalli), from Latinized Greek (), meaning "a green shoot" or "twig", is the vegetative tissue of some organisms in diverse groups such as algae, fungi, some liverworts, lichens, and the Myxogastria. Many of these organisms wer ...

has a cracked, uneven, and texture. The ascomata of ''Fissurina verrucosa'' are and very short, ranging from 0.2 to 0.3 mm in length. They feature simple to branched structures with short branches that are the same colour as the

. These structures are found in scattered patches, immersed within the thallus. 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 ...

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 ...

and measures between 26 and 138

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 height. The are ellipsoidal, measure 7–12 μm by 3–4 μm, and contain 3

septa The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly 4 million people in five coun ...

. In terms of chemistry, the thallus contains protocetraric and fumarprotocetraric acids, which sets it apart from other "comparilis-type" species in the genus ''

Fissurina ''Fissurina'' is a genus of lichenized fungi in the family Graphidaceae. The genus was first described by the French botanist Antoine Laurent Apollinaire Fée in an 1825 publication. Species *'' Fissurina abdita'' *'' Fissurina adscribens'' ...

''. These other species, including '' Fissurina comparilis'', '' F. comparimuralis'', '' F. humilis'', '' F. inquinata'', and '' F. tachygrapha'', either have no lichen substances or contain

stictic acid Stictic acid is an aromatic organic compound, a product of secondary metabolism in some species of lichens. Stictic acid is the subject of preliminary biomedical research. Stictic acid has cytotoxic and apoptotic effects ''in vitro''. Computation ...

, as in the case of ''F. inquinata''. ''Fissurina verrucosa'' is also distinguishable by its smaller ascospores. This lichen species has been observed growing on exposed tree trunks in montane forests along the roadside. The first specimen examined (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 ...

, collected in 1974) was initially reported as '' Graphis dumastii'' but later identified as ''Fissurina verrucosa''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q17387916

verrucosa ''Verrucosa'' is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by Henry McCook in 1888. It contains almost fifty described species, most of which live in South America. The only species in the United States is the arrowhead spider. Species i ...

Lichen species Lichens described in 2007 Lichens of India