Polyblastidium togashii (Kurok.) Kalb, 2015

Mongkolsuk, Pachara, Meesim, Sanya, Poengsungnoen, Vasun, Buaruang, Kawinnat, Schumm, Felix & Kalb, Klaus, 2015, The lichen family Physciaceae in Thailand-II. Contributions to the genus Heterodermia sensu lato, Phytotaxa 235 (1), pp. 448-450 : 448-450

10. Polyblastidium togashii (Kurok.) Kalb , comb. nov. ( Fig. 11E )

Mycobank MB 813848

Basionym: Anaptychia togashii Kurok., Beih. Nova Hedwigia 6: 68 (1962). Type:— India. Sikkim: Jongri, 4000 m, 21 May 1960, M. Togashi (holotype TI, n.v., isotypes KrK, US); Heterodermia togashii (Kurok.) D.D. Awasthi, Geophytology 3(1): 114 (1973).

Thallus foliose, rarely orbicular, usually irregularly spreading, loosely adnate, to 9 cm wide. Lobes 0.3–1.0 mm wide, to ca. 1.5–2.5 mm wide at the tips, plane to weakly convex or weakly concave, sublinear-elongate, irregularly branched, radiating; apices ascending, usually discrete, not lobulate along the lobe margins, eciliate. Upper surface whitish to cream or pale gray, without soralia, isidia or phyllidia. Medulla white. Lower surface ecorticate, ± arachnoid, white to beige in the centre; yellow pigments absent. Marginal rhizines totally black or grayish at the base, simple, but basally squarrosely branched and forming a dense mat, 1–3 mm long. Apothecia not common, laminal, substipitate, 1–5 mm wide; margin crenulate to lobulate, the lobules ecorticate on the lower surface; disc concave, dark brown to brown-black, ± thinly gray pruinose. Ascospores Polyblastidia - type, ellipsoidal, with 2 or 3 ± large sporoblastidia, 33–50 × 15–25 µm. Pycnidia rare, immersed, then becoming emergent, visible as black dots; conidia bacilliform, 4–5 × 1 µm.

Chemistry: Cortex K+ yellow, C–, KC–, P+ yellow; medulla K+ yellow, C–, P–; containing atranorin (major), zeorin (major), japonene (major).

Distribution and habitat:—Occurs on bark of trees ( Castanopsis is reported) or over mosses and liverworts

THE LICHEN FAMILY PHYSCIACEAE IN THAILAND —II

Phytotaxa 235 (1) © 2015 Magnolia Press • 47 on small branches in hill evergreen forest in northern Thailand from 1413 to 2565 m above sea level, also recorded from India and Nepal; new addition to the Thai lichen biota.

Remarks: — This species is characterized by the lack of vegetative propagules, ± radiating lobe apices, the absence of a lower cortex, the whitish lower surface, ± large ascospores with sporoblastidia and the lack of depsidones. Polyblastidium togashii is very similar to P. hypoleucum , but is readily distinguished by larger ascospores (23–30 × 11–16 µm in P. hypoleucum ). Furthermore, polyblastidia are very rare in P. hypoleucum . It is distinguished from P. magellanicum by the marginal rhizines which are richly branched at the base.

Material from Thailand examined:— Chiang Mai: Doi Inthanon National Park, along trail Ang Ka Doi Inthanon , in hill evergreen forest, on bark of unidentified tree, 2240 m, 18°48'27'' N, 98°53'27'' E, 30 April 2005, W . Hongsachart , RU-WD 108, ( RAMK 21458 ); ibid., W . Hongsachart, RU-WD 103, ( RAMK 21454 ); Chiang Mai: Doi Inthanon National Park, along trail to the peak of Doi Inthanon , in hill evergreen forest, on bark of unidentified tree, 2565 m, 18°35'22'' N, 98°29'15'' E, 7 September 2005 N . Juntawong , RU-NJ 2244, ( RAMK 21337 ); ibid., 29 October 2005 N . Juntawong, RU-NJ 2267, ( RAMK 21746 ); Chiang Mai: Doi Suthep-Pui, along tourist trail to Agricultural Centre Ban Doi-Pui , in hill evergreen forest, on Castanopsis sp. , 1413 m, 18°45'4" N, 98°53'16'' E, 30 April 2005, W . Hongsachart , RU-WD 102, ( RAMK 21453 ) .

Figures

FIGURE 11. A. Polyblastidium japonicum (scale 5 mm). B. Polyblastidium microphyllum (scale 5 mm). C. Polyblastidium propaguliferum (scale 5 mm). D. Polyblastidium queenslandicum (scale 5 mm). E. Polyblastidium togashii (scale 5 mm). F. Polyblastidium violostriatum (scale 5 mm).