''Flavoplaca maritima'' is a species of

crustose lichen Crustose lichens are lichens that form a crust which strongly adheres to the Substrate (biology), substrate (soil, rock, tree bark, etc.), making separation from the substrate impossible without destruction. The basic structure of 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 ...

. It is found in costal areas of Northern, Western, and Southern Europe. It mostly occurs on rocks, but has also been recorded growing on wood.

Taxonomy

It was first formally described in 1909 by the French lichenologist Maurice Bouly de Lesdain (in a publication of

Alexander Zahlbruckner Alexander Zahlbruckner (31 May 1860, Svätý Jur – 1938, Vienna) was an Austrian- Hungarian botanist who specialized in the study of lichens. Johann Babtist Zahlbruckner, an earlier Austrian botanist, was his grandfather. From 1878 to 1883 ...

), who described it as a variety of ''Caloplaca citrina''. Later, he considered the

taxon In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular nam ...

worthy of more distinct status and published it as the species ''Caloplaca maritima''. Ulf Arup and colleagues transferred the

to the genus ''

Flavoplaca ''Flavoplaca'' is a genus of crust-like or scaly lichens in the family Teloschistaceae. It has 28 species with a mostly Northern Hemisphere distribution. Taxonomy The genus was circumscribed in 2013 by Ulf Arup, Patrik Frödén and Ulrik Søch ...

'' in 2013, following a

molecular phylogenetics Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

-based restructuring of the family Teloschistaceae.

Description

''Flavoplaca maritima'' is distinguished by its golden-yellow to pale orange, crustose

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 ...

. It often forms extensive patches, characterised by a cracked- surface, which means the thallus is broken into flat, uneven, knobbly sections called . These areoles are bordered by an orange

prothallus A prothallus, or prothallium, (from Latin ''pro'' = forwards and Greek ''θαλλος'' (''thallos'') = twig) is usually the gametophyte stage in the life of a fern or other pteridophyte. Occasionally the term is also used to describe the young ...

, giving the lichen a distinctly fragmented appearance. This species typically features numerous apothecia, which are the fruiting bodies of the lichen. These apothecia are

sessile Sessility, or sessile, may refer to: * Sessility (motility), organisms which are not able to move about * Sessility (botany), flowers or leaves that grow directly from the stem or peduncle of a plant * Sessility (medicine), tumors and polyps that ...

, meaning they sit directly on the thallus without a stalk, and are flat in shape. Their colour ranges from yellow to yellow-orange and they are edged with a thin that matches the thallus in colour. The of ''Flavoplaca maritima'' measure 11–15

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 length and 5–8 μm in width, 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 ...

(a partition in the spore) measuring between 3.5 and 5.5 μm. In terms of chemical spot test reactions, all parts of this lichen are K+ (purple).

Habitat and distribution, and ecology

''Flavoplaca maritima'' grows on sun-exposed

siliceous rock Siliceous rocks are sedimentary rocks that have silica (SiO2) as the principal constituent. The most common siliceous rock is chert; other types include diatomite. They commonly form from silica-secreting organisms such as radiolarians, diatoms, or ...

s, sometimes on

calcareous Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines. In zoology ''Calcareous'' is used as an adje ...

walls, and rarely on wood. It occurs in the western

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...

, Mediterranean France, and the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...

, usually in coastal areas. '' Verrucula maritimaria'' is a lichenicolous (lichen-dwelling) fungus that is known to

parasitise Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has ...

''Flavoplaca maritima''. In the Netherlands, the moss '' Hydropunctarietea maurae'' is a common associate with ''Flavoplaca maritima''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q25777837 , from2=Q59489591 , from3=Q21253552 maritima Lichen species Lichens described in 1909 Lichens of Southwestern Europe Lichens of Northern Europe Taxa named by Maurice Bouly de Lesdain