''Peltigera shennongjiana'' is a species of

terricolous A terricolous lichen is a lichen that grows on the soil as a substrate. An example is some members of the genus ''Peltigera ''Peltigera'' is a genus of approximately 100 species of foliose lichens in the family Peltigeraceae. Commonly known as ...

(ground-dwelling), foliose lichen in the family Peltigeraceae. Found in Central China, it was formally described as a new species in 2019 by Liu-Fu Han and Shou-Yu Guo. The type specimen was collected from Laojunshan Mountain in the

Shennongjia Forestry District Shennongjia Forestry District () is a county-level administrative unit (a "forestry district") in northwestern Hubei province, People's Republic of China, directly subordinated to the provincial government. It occupies in western Hubei, and, as of ...

( Hubei Province) at an elevation of ; here it was found growing on

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hor ...

es over rocks and soil. The species epithet refers to the type locality.

Description

''Peltigera shennongjiana'' is a member of the '' Peltigera canina'' species group, but is distinguished from these similar lichens by presence of abundant isidia, phyllidia, and flat, branched lobules positioned along the margin or along cracks in the lamina. It has a greyish, circular thallus measuring up to in diameter. The lobes that comprise the thallus are wide and long. The apothecia are oriented vertically, and have red-brown to dark brown apothecial discs. Its ascospores have between three and six septa, and measure 32.0–58.0 by 2.0–6.0

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 photobiont partner is a

cyanobacteria Cyanobacteria (), also known as Cyanophyta, are a phylum of gram-negative bacteria that obtain energy via photosynthesis. The name ''cyanobacteria'' refers to their color (), which similarly forms the basis of cyanobacteria's common name, blu ...

from the genus ''

Nostoc ''Nostoc'', also known as star jelly, troll’s butter, spit of moon, fallen star, witch's butter (not to be confused with the fungi commonly known as witches' butter), and witch’s jelly, is the most common genus of cyanobacteria found in vari ...

''. The only lichen product detected was an unidentified

triterpenoid Triterpenes are a class of chemical compounds composed of three terpene units with the molecular formula C30H48; they may also be thought of as consisting of six isoprene units. Animals, plants and fungi all produce triterpenes, including squale ...

References

shennongjiana Lichen species Lichens described in 2019 Lichens of China {{Peltigerales-stub