''Gyalecta kibiensis'' is a species of saxicolous (rock-dwelling),

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

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 Japan, it was formally described as a new species in 2005 by Hiroshi Harada and Isao Yoshimura. 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 ...

was collected from

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

in Iwatutsudani (

Takahashi, Okayama is a city located in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on May 1, 1954. As of March 31, 2017, the city has an estimated population of 31,556, with 14,519 households and a population density of 58 persons per km². The total area is 5 ...

). The

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 ...

of the lichen is smooth and has a light greyish-green colour. A year later it was later recorded growing on a limestone outcrop on the banks of the

Takano River The Takano River is located in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. The Kamo River and Takano River join on the Tadasu River Banks (Jp., Tadasu-gawara 糺河原). There is the "River Confluence" shrine of Shimogamo Shrine, leading to the forested area call ...

, in

Ehime Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Ehime Prefecture has a population of 1,342,011 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 5,676 km2 (2,191 sq mi). Ehime Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the northeast, Toku ...

References

Gyalectales Lichen species Lichens described in 2005 Lichens of Japan {{Lecanoromycetes-stub