Phaeographopsis palaeotropica Kalb & Frisch

Kalb, Jutarat & Kalb, Klaus, 2017, New lichen species from Thailand, new combinations and new additions to the Thai lichen biota, Phytotaxa 332 (2), pp. 141-156 : 148

Phaeographopsis palaeotropica Kalb & Frisch in Kalb (2004: 313). ( Figs. 2C, 2D )

Distribution and habitat:—Reported from Africa, Republic of Cameroon ( Kalb 2004), Papua New Guinea and the Philippines ( Aptroot et al. 1997, as P. indica ), and also found in Thailand, growing on bark of unidentified trees in lowland rainforests, swamp forests as well as in dry evergreen forests.

Material from Thailand examined:— Prachuap Khiri Khan province: Bang Saphan district ; tambon Mae Rumpueng, Pa Klang Ao Forest Park, in a disturbed dry dipterocarp forest ( Dipterocarpus alatus ), on bark of various trees, 15 m, 11°12’36’ N, 99°31’25’’ E, 20 December 2015, J. Sutjaritturakan & K. Kalb (Hb. K. & J. Kalb 41922, 41395, 41398) .

Remarks:—Of special interest is the collection Hb. K. & J. Kalb 41395, cited above, because the discs of the ascomata which are usually black and mostly covered by a greyish pruina are greyish or beige below the pruina, due to non-desintegrating asci. In this specimen the spores remain within the hymenium and no mazaedium is formed. This specimen looks exactly like a Diorygma , but recent molecular studies ( Rivas Plata et al. 2013) show that the two genera are not closely related. In the phylogenetic tree (loc. cit.), Phaeographopsis is sister to Diploschistes . A close relationship of these two genera was originally proposed by Kalb (2004) due to the similar spore- and ascus-types.

Figures

FIGURE 2. A. Graphis indica (J.K. & K.K, KJK 41769; scale 1 mm); B. Leucodecton occultum (J.K. & K.K, KJK 41952; scale 0.25 mm); C. Phaeographopsis palaeotropica, ascomata with a distinct black mazaedium (J.K. & K.K, KJK 41398; scale 0.5 mm); D. Phaeographopsis palaeotropica, ascomata lacking a mazaedium (J.K. & K.K, KJK 41395; scale 0.4 mm); E. Platygramme australis (J.K. & K.K, KJK 41279; scale 0.5 mm); F. Platygramme commutabilis (Sutjaritturakan 4225, KJK 42227; scale 1 mm); G. Platygramme discurrens (Sutjaritturakan 4895, KJK 42217; scale 0.3 mm); H. Platygramme subcolubrosa (J.S. & K.K., KK 41534; scale 0.5 mm).