''Lecania juniperi'' is a rare species of corticolous (bark-dwelling), crustose lichen in the family Ramalinaceae. Discovered on ''

Juniperus phoenicea ''Juniperus phoenicea'', the Phoenicean juniper or Arâr, is a juniper found throughout the Mediterranean region. Description ''Juniperus phoenicea'' is a large shrub or small tree reaching tall, with a trunk up to in diameter and a rounded o ...

'' shrubs in the coastal region of Portugal, it was formally described as a new species in 2012. Despite its resemblance to ''

Lecania cyrtella ''Lecania'' is a genus of lichenized fungi in the family Ramalinaceae. The genus was circumscribed by Abramo Bartolommeo Massalongo in 1853. ''Lecania'' is widely distributed, especially in temperate regions, and contains about 64 species. Sp ...

'', ''L. juniperi'' stands out due to its warted and sorediate thallus, larger , and distinct s.

Taxonomy

''Lecania juniperi'' was first described by Dutch lichenologist Pieter van den Boom as a new species in 2012. The type specimen was discovered in the Algarve region of Portugal, near

Odeceixe Odeceixe is a village and civil parish in the northern part of the municipality of Aljezur, in the Portuguese Algarve, lying within the Nature Park of the Southwest Alentejo and Vincentine Coast. The village lies on the south bank of the Ribeira d ...

, on a ''

'' shrub. The species name ''juniperi'' is derived from the

host A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it. Host may also refer to: Places * Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County People *Jim Host (born 1937), American businessman * Michel Host ...

genus of the lichen.

Description

The thallus of ''Lecania juniperi'' is corticolous, measuring approximately 1 cm wide and up to 0.5 mm thick. The range in colour from pale grey to greyish brown, and the upper surface can be smooth or prominently warted. The can reach up to 0.8 mm in diameter, with a persistent margin that is paler than the . The are

ellipsoid An ellipsoid is a surface that may be obtained from a sphere by deforming it by means of directional scalings, or more generally, of an affine transformation. An ellipsoid is a quadric surface; that is, a surface that may be defined as the ...

to somewhat

ovoid An oval () is a closed curve in a plane which resembles the outline of an egg. The term is not very specific, but in some areas (projective geometry, technical drawing, etc.) it is given a more precise definition, which may include either one or ...

, contains either a single

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 ...

or none, and typically measures 9–14 by 3.5–5

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 ...

. ''Lecania juniperi'' is chemically unreactive, showing no reactions with common lichen spot tests (K−, C−, KC−, and P−) and containing no detectable chemical substances.

Similar species

This lichen is a part of the ''

'' group, which also includes two sorediate (saxicolous) species, '' L. erysibe'' and '' L. leprosa''. ''Lecania juniperi'' differs from these species due to its warted thallus, larger apothecia, and wider ascospores. In the field, ''L. juniperi'' can be readily confused with '' L. naegelii'' or an underdeveloped specimen of ''L. viridulogranulosa''. However, ''L. naegelii'' has 3-septate ascospores and a non- excipulum, while ''L. viridulogranulosa'' has a sorediate thallus and also ascospores with three septa.

Habitat and distribution

''Lecania juniperi'' is found exclusively on thin branches of ''Juniperus phoenicea'' shrubs, in open and exposed areas along the Atlantic Coast of Portugal, at an elevation of approximately . At the time of its publication, it was only known to exist in the type locality. The lichen can be found growing alongside other species such as '' Caloplaca chrysophthalma'', ''

Diploicia canescens ''Diploicia canescens'' is a widespread species of lichenized fungus. It is found throughout much of the world, occurring on every continent except Antarctica. Taxonomy ''Diploicia canescens'' was first described by James Dickson in 1785 as ''L ...

'', '' Lecanora'' spp., '' Opegrapha xerica'', and ''

Opegrapha ''Opegrapha'' is a genus of lichenized fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organi ...

'' spp.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q107903395 Ramalinaceae Lichen species Lichens described in 2012 Lichens of Southwestern Europe