Enterographa nicobarica Jagadeesh, 2016

Jagadeesh Ram, T. A. M., 2016, Additional new species in Roccellaceae s. l. from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India, Phytotaxa 246 (4), pp. 281-286 : 283

Enterographa nicobarica Jagadeesh , sp. nov. ( Figs 1C–D & 2F )

MycoBank No.: MB 815258

Enterographa with simple to branched lirelliform ascomata in pseudostroma, 5–7-septate, 23–32(–38) × 3.5–5 μm ascospores and lacking lichen substances.

Type: — INDIA. Nicobar Islands, Katchal Island, Jhola village, 8°00’26.5” N, 93°20’15.7” E, alt. 10 m, on Coconut palm, 12 Jun. 2014, T. A. M. Jagadeesh Ram 3681 (Holotype CAL, Isotype PBL).

Thallus crustose, corticolous, epiphloeodal, irregular in outline, up to 7 cm across, whitish to whitish grey, smooth, continuous, sometimes finely fissured, thin, 36–80 μm thick, ecorticate, with abundant small colourless crystals which forms colourless needle shaped, substellate crystals in K and large 7–18 μm wide calcium oxalate crystals; prothallus indistinct, forming a black line while bordering same or different species; photobiont Trentepohlia , cells 12–16 × 6–8 μm; medulla indistinct. Ascomata lirelliform, simple to branched, 0.4–1.3 mm long, and 0.15–0.3 mm wide, immersed in distinctly elevated pseudostromata; pseudostroma usually with single ascoma and rounded to ellipsoid, oblong or resemble the shape of ascoma, sometimes 2–3 confluent, 0.5–2 × 0.5–1.5 mm; disc dark brown to black, plane, epruinose. Thalline margin 60–120 μm thick, with calcium oxalate and other small colourless crystals. Excipulum colourless, thin to indistinct, 6–12 μm thick. Epihymenium brown, 10–20 μm thick, without crystals, K –. Hymenium colourless, 44–76 μm high, I + red, KI+ blue. Subhymenium colourless, 22–40 μm thick, K –, I + red, KI+ blue. Paraphysoids branched and anastomosing, 1 μm wide; tips brown, thickened, 1.5 μm wide. Asci clavate, 8-spored, 44–72 × 10–15 μm. Ascospores colourless, fusiform, 5–7-septate, 23–32(–38) × 3.5–5 μm; perispore indistinct. Pycnidia few to many, scattered, solitary, globose to subglobose, black, up to 0.1 mm diam. Conidia colourless, ellipsoid to ellipsoid-oblong, 3–4 × 2–2.5 μm. Chemistry: Thallus K –, C –, KC–, P –, UV –; I –, KI– (in section); no lichen substances.

Notes: — Enterographa nicobarica closely resembles E. kalbii Sparrius , which is known from Brazil and also has shortly dendroid lirelliform ascomata immersed in pseudostromata and I +red hymenium and 7-septate ascospores, but E. kalbii is distinct in having UV + yellow pseudostromata (lichexanthone). Enterographa nicobarica lacks lichexanthone in thallus as well as in pseudostromata and besides in forming needle to star shaped crystals in K. Enterographa chiodectonoides Cáceres & Lücking is the other species having similar ascomata immersed in pseudostromata but that differs in having I + blue hymenium and large 7-septate, 35–40 × 3–5 μm ascospores. Enterographa diederichiana Ertz , E. quassiicola Fée , E. subserialis (Nyl.) Redinger and E. subquassiicola Cáceres & Lücking are the other species having ascomata immersed in elevated pseudostromata, but all of them differ by punctiform ascomata ( Sparrius 2004, Cáceres 2007, Ertz 2009, F. Seavey & J. Seavey 2014).

Distribution and habitat: — Enterographa nicobarica is so far known only from the type locality where it grows on the trunks of over 50 year old coconut palms.

Etymology: —The specific epithet refers to the Nicobar Islands.

Figures

FIGURE 1. A–B. Chiodecton norsticticum (holotype), part of thallus with perithecioid to lirelliform ascomata in stroma-like structures. C–D. Enterographa nicobarica (holotype), part of thallus with lirelliform ascomata in pseudostroma-like structures. Scales:A–D=1 mm.

FIGURE 2. A–B. Gyrographa nigrofusca (holotype), part of thallus with lirelliform ascomata. C–D. G. nigrofusca (Jagadeesh Ram 1688), part of thallus with lirelliform ascomata. E. Chiodecton norsticticum (holotype), ascospores. F. Enterographa nicobarica (holotype), ascospores. G. Gyrographa nigrofusca (holotype), ascospores. Scales: A–D=1 mm, E–G=10 μm.