Peltigera Koponenii

''Peltigera koponenii'' is a species of foliose lichen in the family Peltigeraceae. Found in Papua New Guinea, it was formally described as a new species in 2009 by Emmanuël Sérusiaux, Bernard Goffinet, Jolanta Miądlikowska, and Orvo Vitikainen. The type specimen was collected near Lake Wanba at an altitude of , where it was found growing on a tree trunk in an open montane forest of '' Nothofagus'' and ''Pandanus''. The species epithet honours Finnish bryologist , "who made large and well processed collections of ''Peltigera'' in Papua New Guinea".

Description

This lichen species forms large that can reach up to in diameter. The elongated are typically sparingly divided, with rounded lobes measuring 0.5–0.8 mm wide at the extremities and a margin. The upper surface is usually pale grey or slightly orange, sometimes bluish-grey, with an , whitish to pale brown covering much of the surface. The lower surface is whitish to beige or pale brown, with a network of pale orange to brownish, distinctly raised . Rhizines are abundant to extremely abundant, forming dense cushions or bushy masses that are usually long. Apothecia may be absent or abundant, growing almost vertically on raised, and lobes. have three septa, and are and straight, with somewhat rounded ends; they measure 44–53 by 4–4.5 μm.

Habitat and distribution

''Peltigera koponenii'' is an epiphytic lichen species that grows on mossy trunks and branches in montane and subalpine forests. It can also be found overgrowing terrestrial moss cushions in the subalpine zone and on gravel by rivers or streams, as well as on artificial substrates such as hedges or garden fences in the montane forest zone. This species is also able to grow on tree fern trunks in deep valleys characterized by rare but acute frosts and irregular fires. Its altitudinal range is from .

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q10622577

koponenii
Lichen species
Lichens described in 2009
Lichens of New Guinea
Taxa named by Emmanuël Sérusiaux