''Phyllopsora amazonica'' is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling),

crustose lichen Crustose lichens are lichens that form a crust which strongly adheres to the substrate (soil, rock, tree bark, etc.), making separation from the substrate impossible without destruction. The basic structure of crustose lichens consists of a cor ...

in the family

Ramalinaceae The Ramalinaceae are a family of lichenized fungi in the order Lecanorales. The family name is synonymous with the name ''Bacidiaceae''. Species of this family have a widespread distribution. Genera *'' Aciculopsora'' *''Adelolecia'' *'' Arth ...

. It is found in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil.

Taxonomy

''Phyllopsora amazonica'' was formally described as a new species in 2019 by lichenologists Sonja Kistenich and Einar Timdal. 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 the ...

was collected by the authors from the research station of the Estação Científica Ferreira Penna in the (

Melgaço, Pará Melgaço is a Brazilian municipality in the state of Pará. It stands at an altitude of 12 meters. Its population was estimated in 2020 at 27,890 inhabitants, according to the IBGE. It is located 290 km, in a straight line, from the capital ...

), where it was found in a

tropical rainforest Tropical rainforests are rainforests that occur in areas of tropical rainforest climate in which there is no dry season – all months have an average precipitation of at least 60 mm – and may also be referred to as ''lowland equatori ...

growing on a tree trunk at a height of above the ground. The

species epithet Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany) A botanical name ...

''amazonica'' refers to its habitat in the Amazon rainforest.

Description

The lichen has an , crust-like

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 ...

comprising small, pale green to white

areole In botany, areoles are small light- to dark-colored bumps on cacti out of which grow clusters of spines. Areoles are important diagnostic features of cacti, and identify them as a family distinct from other succulent plants. Gordon Rowley - Wh ...

s (up to 0.4 mm in diameter) and a thin, white

prothallus A prothallus, or prothallium, (from Latin ''pro'' = forwards and Greek ''θαλλος'' (''thallos'') = twig) is usually the gametophyte stage in the life of a fern or other pteridophyte. Occasionally the term is also used to describe the young ...

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 ...

are frequent, cylindrical to flask-shaped (''lageniform''), with dimensions of 0.12 by 0.70 mm. The

apothecia An ascocarp, or ascoma (), is the fruiting body ( sporocarp) of an ascomycete phylum fungus. It consists of very tightly interwoven hyphae and millions of embedded asci, each of which typically contains four to eight ascospores. Ascocarps are mo ...

are rounded, brownish, and small – measuring up to 1 mm in diameter. ''Phyllopsora amazonica'' contains

atranorin Atranorin is a chemical substance produced by some species of lichen. It is a secondary metabolite belonging to a group of compounds known as depsides. Atranorin has analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, cytotoxic, antioxidant ...

as a major

lichen product Lichen products, also known as lichen substances, are organic compounds produced by a lichen. Specifically, they are secondary metabolites. Lichen products are represented in several different chemical classes, including terpenoids, orcinol de ...

, as well as several

terpenoid The terpenoids, also known as isoprenoids, are a class of naturally occurring organic chemicals derived from the 5-carbon compound isoprene and its derivatives called terpenes, diterpenes, etc. While sometimes used interchangeably with "terpenes ...

compounds.

Similar species

Phyllopsora halei ''Phyllopsora'' is a genus of lichenized fungi in the family Ramalinaceae. It was circumscribed by Swiss botanist Johannes Müller Argoviensis in 1894. The characteristics of a fossilized ''Phyllopsora'', '' Phyllopsora dominicana'', found in D ...

'', found in North America, Africa, and Asia, has a

sister taxon In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and ...

phylogenetic relationship with ''P. amazonica''. They are somewhat similar in appearance, but differ in the prothallus dimensions and colour (in ''P. halei'', it is more prominent, thicker, and reddish brown), the formation of isidia (in ''P. hali'', they sometimes grow directly out of the prothallus), and the overall form of the thallus (''P. halei'' has

rosette Rosette is the French diminutive of ''rose''. It may refer to: Flower shaped designs * Rosette (award), a mark awarded by an organisation * Rosette (design), a small flower design *hence, various flower-shaped or rotational symmetric forms: ** R ...

-like thalli).

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q108200008 Ramalinaceae Lichens described in 2019 Lichen species Lichens of Northeast Brazil Taxa named by Einar Timdal