''Thamnolia tundrae'' is a species of lichen in the family Icmadophilaceae. Its distribution covers the

arctic tundra In physical geography, tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. The term ''tundra'' comes through Russian (') from the Kildin Sámi word (') meaning "uplands", "treeless mou ...

of Eurasia and extends to the North American

Aleutian Islands The Aleutian Islands (; ; ale, Unangam Tanangin,”Land of the Aleuts", possibly from Chukchi ''aliat'', "island"), also called the Aleut Islands or Aleutic Islands and known before 1867 as the Catherine Archipelago, are a chain of 14 large v ...

. It was formally described as a new species in 2018 by Ioana Brännström and

Leif Tibell Leif Tibell (born 16 November 1944) is a Swedish lichenologist and Emeritus Professor at the University of Uppsala. He is known for his expertise on calicioid lichens. He was awarded the Acharius Medal in 2012 for lifetime achievements in lich ...

. The

type specimen In biology, a type is a particular 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 anchor or centralizes th ...

was collected from Täljstensvalen mountain ( Jämtland, Sweden). Its

thallus Thallus (plural: thalli), from Latinized Greek (), meaning "a green shoot" or "twig", is the vegetative tissue of some organisms in diverse groups such as algae, fungi, some liverworts, lichens, and the Myxogastria. Many of these organisms ...

features white, hollow, cylindrical tufts, which are morphologically the same as the other members of genus ''

Thamnolia ''Thamnolia'' is a genus of lichens in the family Icmadophilaceae. Members of the genus are commonly called whiteworm lichens. Two species of ''Thamnolia'' are used by ethnic peoples of Yunnan Province Yunnan , () is a landlocked pro ...

''. ''Thamnolia tundrae'', however, is

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...

ally distinct from these other similar species. Secondary compounds found in the lichen include baeomycesic acid and squamatic acid. The species is suspected to have survived the latest

glaciation A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate be ...

in coastal refugia in regions close to its current range.

References

Pertusariales Lichen species Lichens described in 2018 Lichens of Asia Lichens of Europe Taxa named by Leif Tibell Lichens of the Arctic {{Pertusariales-stub