''Gyalecta ancistrospora'' is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family

Gyalectaceae The Gyalectaceae are a family of fungi in the order Gyalectales. Genera According to a 2022 estimate, Gyalectaceae contains 6 genera and 89 species (including 11 species in genus ''Cryptolechia''). *'' Francisrosea'' – 1 sp. *''Gyalecta'' � ...

. Found in Korea, it was formally described as a new species in 2014 by lichenologists

André Aptroot André Aptroot (Heemskerk, 1961) is a Dutch mycologist and lichenologist. In 1993 he did his PhD at the University of Utrecht under the supervision of Robbert Gradstein (nl). His dissertation was titled "Systematic studies on pyrenocarpous li ...

and Kwang-Hee Moon. The type specimen was collected by the first author from Mount Juwang (

Cheongsong County Cheongsong County (or Cheongsong-gun) is a county in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. Administrative divisions Cheongsong is divided into 1 eup and 7 myeon. Climate Cheongsong has a humid continental climate (Köppen: ''Dwa''), but can ...

, North Gyeongsang Province) at an altitude between ; there, it was found growing on siliceous rock. It is only known to occur in this area, where it grows on boulders shaded by trees in forest.

Description

The lichen has a thin, pale greenish-grey, crust-like thallus that covers areas of up to about . The photobiont partner is trebouxioid (spherical, unicellular green algae). The ascomata are sessile, and measure 0.3–0.6 mm in diameter; they have a flat, dull orange disc with a pale pinkish-orange margin. All chemical spot tests are negative, and no lichen products were detected using thin-layer chromatography. The main characteristic that distinguishes ''Gyalecta ancistrospora'' from other ''

Gyalecta ''Gyalecta'' is a genus of fungi in the family Gyalectaceae that contains 50 species. ''Gyalecta'' was circumscribed by lichenologist Erik Acharius Erik Acharius (10 October 1757 – 14 August 1819) was a Swedish botanist who pioneered th ...

'' species is the presence of spindle-shaped (''fusiform'') ascospores that have a long attenuated tail at the lower end. The spores, which have three septa that divide it into four chambers, measure 30–41 by 3.5–4

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 ...

. The lichen is otherwise similar in appearance to other saxicolous members of its genus, particularly '' G. jenensis'' and '' G. ulleungdoensis''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q107711407 Gyalectales Lichen species Lichens described in 2014 Taxa named by André Aptroot Lichens of Eastern Asia