''Pannaria minutiphylla'' is a species of

lichen A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.Pannariaceae The Pannariaceae are a family of lichens in the order Peltigerales (suborder Collematineae). Species from this family have a widespread distribution, but are especially prevalent in southern temperate regions. Genera According to a recent (202 ...

, described as a new species in 2013 by Arve Elvebakk. The species is similar to ''

Pannaria phyllidiata ''Pannaria phyllidiata'' is a species of lichen in the family Pannariaceae. Known from Australia, it was described as new to science in 2011. It is characterised by its unique (small leaf-like or scale-like propagules) and distinct distribut ...

'', but can be distinguished by its smaller and that are elongated to

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 ...

Taxonomy

''Pannaria minutiphylla'' was formally described by Arve Elvebakk in 2013. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''minutiphylla'' refers to the species' numerous small .

Description

The lichen has a foliose (leafy) thallus, that is either corticolous (bark-dwelling),

foliicolous Foliicolous refers to the growth habit of certain lichens, algae, and fungi that prefer to grow on the leaves of vascular plants Vascular plants (), also called tracheophytes () or collectively Tracheophyta (), form a large group of land plant ...

(leaf-dwelling), or occasionally saxicolous (rock-dwelling). It forms rosettes of in diameter. The are irregularly to somewhat branched. These lobes are discrete in peripheral parts of the thallus, and towards the centre. The upper surface of the thallus is pale greyish-green when fresh and dry, turning salad-green when moist, and gradually turning

chestnut brown Chestnut or castaneous is a colour, a medium reddish shade of brown (displayed right), and is named after the nut of the chestnut tree. An alternate name for the colour is badious. Indian red is a similar but separate and distinct colour fro ...

after storage. The upper cortex is 25–40

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 ...

thick. are common along the margins, and the is composed of more or less spherical cells. The medulla is mostly white, with a dark brown lower part. Apothecia are absent, sparse, or common, with a rufous-brown . 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 ...

is colourless and intensely IKI+ blue. Proper are

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 ...

, non- septate, and regularly elongate to

Chemistry

The species tests negative for UV, C, K, KC, and Pd spot test reactions. Thin-layer chromatography reveals the presence of vicanicin as a major compound, along with 3–4 unidentified terpenoids. High-performance liquid chromatography also indicates vicanicin as a major compound, with occasional trace amounts of norvicanicin.

Distribution and habitat

''Pannaria minutiphylla'' is common in Victoria and Tasmania, Australia. In New Zealand, it is widespread throughout both the North and

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

s, and also found in the Auckland Islands and Campbell Island. The species grows on trunks of various

phorophyte In botany phorophytes are plants, on which epiphyte An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. Th ...

s and occasionally on rocks or leaves.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q21320685 Pannariaceae Lichen species Lichens described in 2013 Lichens of Australia Lichens of New Zealand Taxa named by Arve Elvebakk