Immersaria shangrilaensis C.M. Xie & Lu L. Zhang, 2022

Xie, Cong-Miao, Wang, Li-Song, Zhao, Zun-Tian, Zhang, Yan-Yun, Wang, Xin-Yu & Zhang, Lu-Lu, 2022, Revision of Immersaria and a new lecanorine genus in Lecideaceae (lichenised Ascomycota, Lecanoromycetes), MycoKeys 87, pp. 99-132 : 99

Immersaria shangrilaensis C.M. Xie & Lu L. Zhang sp. nov.

Figure 5d-f

Etymology.

The name " Immersaria shangrilaensis " refers to the location at which the holotype was collected: “Shangri-La”, a county of Yunnan Province in China.

Type.

China. Yunnan Province: Shangri-La County., Mt. Hong Shan , 4363 m elev., 28°7'N, 99°54'E, on rock, 18 Aug 2018, Li-Song Wang et al. 18-60447 (KUN-holotype) .

Description.

Thallus areolate, yellow-brown, orange-brown, often appears as greyish-brown, generally heavily pruinose, continuous, 5.7-10.0 cm across; areolae aggregated by 4-14 small areolae (often surrounded by black prothallus), small areolae up to 0.1 mm across, concave or flat, irregular, pruinose; margin pruinose; prothallus black, distinct. Upper cortex 32.0-50.0 μm thick, yellow-brown granules pigmented; epinecral layer 15.0-20.0 μm thick; algal layer 47.5-65.0 μm thick, cells 7.5-8.0 × 5.0 μm in diam., ellipsoid. Apothecia frequent, crowded, immersed or isolated from areolae, 0.3-0.8 mm in diam.; disc black, concave to flat, aggregated, cracked once mature, thin pruinose; margin reduced, slightly raised. Exciple almost absent. Hymenium 100.0-138.0 μm thick, colourless; paraphyses ca. 2.5 μm wide, branched, anastomosing or not; epihymenium ca. 15.0 μm thick, brown; subhymenium ca. 55.0 μm thick, colourless; hypothecium pale brown to brown. Asci Porpidia -type, cylindrical, eight-spored; ascospores 7.0-9.0 × 3.0-4.0 μm, ellipsoid, halonate (sometimes not distinct). Conidiomata immersed, oblate, black, margin heavily pruinose; conidia 7.5 × 1.0 μm, bacilliform.

Chemistry.

Thallus K-, C-. Medulla I+ violet. Confluentic acid, planaic acid and/or 2'-O-methylmicophyllinic acid.

Ecology and distribution.

In China, growing on granite at elevations of 4300-4500 m in the alpine zone. This species is known from Yunnan Province of China.

Notes.

The materials of Immersaria athroocarpa from the Shangri-La County of Yunnan Province are morphologically identical with the specimen Hertel (1977) reported from the same locality, but differ from the lectotype in its aggregate areolae, the aggregate apothecia and the smaller size of ascospores (7.0-9.0 × 3.0-4.0 μm). Based on the phenotypic and phylogenetic results, the material from Shangri-La is treated as a new species, Immersaria shangrilaensis . It is characterised by its large thallus, up to 10.0 cm in diam., the aggregate areolae and apothecia and the small size of ascospores.

Specimens examined.

China. Yunnan Province: Shangri-La County, 4350-4500 m elev., on rock, 1915, Handel-Mazzetti no. 6945 = WU-Lichenes0037752 (WU); Mt. Hong Shan , 4363 m elev., 28°7'N, 99°54'E, on rock, 2018, Li-Song Wang et al. 18-60430 (KUN), Li-Song Wang et al. 18-60447 (KUN) 4503.1 m elev., Chun-Xiao Wang et al. SDNU20181696 (SDNU), 4361.9 m elev., Chun-Xiao Wang et al. SDNU20181675 (SDNU); Luquan Co., Mt. Jiaozixueshan , 3800 m elev., 2008, Hai-Ying Wang SDNU 20082253 (SDNU); Lijiang City, Mt. Laojun , 3981 m elev., 26°37'N, 99°43'E, 2018, Li-Song Wang et al. 18-60555, 18-60602 (KUN) .

Figures

Figure 5. Immersaria ferruginea (a-c KUN 20 - 69144): a-b thallus c apothecial anatomy. I. shangrilaensis (d-f KUN 18 - 60430): d-e thallus f apothecial anatomy. Scale bars: 1 mm (a-b, d-e); 20 μm (c, f).