''Sticta arbuscula'' is a species of

foliose lichen Foliose lichen is one of the morphological classes of lichens, which are complex organisms that arise from the symbiotic relationship between fungi and a photosynthetic partner, typically algae. This partnership allows lichen to live in diverse ...

in the family Peltigeraceae. Found in the South American

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

, it was formally described by Bibiana Moncada and

Robert Lücking Robert Lücking (born 1964) is a German lichenologist. He is a leading expert on foliicolous lichens–lichens that live on leaves. Life and career Born in Ulm in 1964, Lücking earned both his master's (1990) and PhD degree (1994) at the Univer ...

in 2012. 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 in Chingaza National Natural Park ( Cundinamarca, Colombia) at an altitude of . The lichen is found in the Andes of Colombia and Ecuador, at elevations between , where it grows on bark of twigs and stems. It typically associates with bryophytes from the family Lejeuneaceae and the genera '' Plagiochila'', '' Metzgeria'', '' Jubula'', and '' Omphalanthus''. 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 ...

''arbuscula'' refers to the characteristic arbuscular

isidia An isidium is a vegetative reproductive structure present in some lichens. Isidia are outgrowths of the thallus surface, and are corticated (i.e., containing the outermost layer of the thallus), usually with a columnar structure, and consisting o ...

–branched with a stalk at the base.

References

arbuscula Arbuscula ( lat, Arbuscŭla; d. between 54 and 35 BCE) was a woman stage performer of ancient Rome. She was a celebrated actor in pantomimes during the 1st century BCE, when most of the female parts at the time were played by men at least in traged ...

Lichen species Lichens described in 2012 Lichens of Colombia Lichens of Ecuador Taxa named by Robert Lücking {{Peltigerales-stub