Protoparmeliopsis crystalliniformis B.G. Lee & J-.S. Hur, 2021

Lee, Beeyoung Gun & Hur, Jae-Seoun, 2021, Two new lecanoroid lichen species from the forested wetlands of South Korea, with a key for Korean Protoparmeliopsis species, MycoKeys 84, pp. 163-183 : 163

Protoparmeliopsis crystalliniformis B.G. Lee & J-.S. Hur sp. nov.

Fig. 7

Diagnosis.

Protoparmeliopsis crystalliniformis differs from P. ertzii by thallus color (grayish white to white vs. pale beige to ochraceous), flat to concave disc (vs. flat to convex disc), paler disc color (pale brown to dark brown vs. deep reddish brown), longer ascospores (8.5-17 × 4.2-7 μm vs. 9.4-11.3 × 5.3-6.6 μm), chemistry (thallus K+ yellow, and the presence of atranorin and rhizocarpic acid vs. all spot tests negative and no substance), and the substrate preference (sandstone or basalt vs. exposed lava).

Type.

South Korea, South Jeolla Province, Sinan, Ja-Eun Island, a wetland just nearby coast, 34°55.96'N, 126°04.30'E, 5 m alt., on rock (sandstone), 16 April 2020, B.G.Lee & D.Y.Kim 2020-000149, with Ramalina yasudae Räsänen, Xanthoparmelia coreana (Gyeln.) Hale (holotype: BDNA-L-0000349; GenBank MW832797 for ITS, MW832803 for mtSSU, and MW832822 for LSU); same locality, on rock (sandstone, not calcareous), 16 April 2020, B.G.Lee & D.Y.Kim 2020-000151, with Buellia spuria (Schaer.) Anzi, Ramalina yasudae , Xanthoparmelia coreana (paratype: BDNA-L-0000351) .

Description.

Thallus saxicolous, areolate to squamulose, linearly or web-like dispersed following furrows of substrate, not forming a rosette, pale grayish white to white, margin indeterminate, not pruinose, 100-450 μm thick; cortex pale brown, 10-20 μm thick; medulla below algal layer, 30-50 μm (sometimes 150-200 μm) thick; algal layer 50-80 μm thick, small crystals in cortex or between algal cells, dissolving but remaining in K; photobiont coccoid, cells globose to ellipsoid, 5-15 μm. Hypothallus absent.

Apothecia abundant, rounded, often contiguous or even coalescent, emerging on the surface of thallus and sessile when mature, constricted at the base, 0.3-1.7 mm diam. Disc flat or slightly concave, crenulate or entire, smooth or becoming rugose by apothecia adjoining, not pruinose, pale brown to dark brown from the beginning, 250-350 μm thick; lecanorine. Thalline excipulum persistent or rarely excluded, concolorous to thallus, 125-160 μm laterally, 80-150 μm at periphery, cortex inconspicuous, concolorous to epihymenium or slightly paler, up to 5 μm, with small and large crystals, small crystals dissolving but remaining in K, large crystals not dissolving in K. Proper excipulum inconspicuous. Epihymenium brown to pale brown, with tiny granules, granules and pigments dissolving in K, 10-20 μm high. Hymenium hyaline, 80-100μm high. Subhymenium hyaline, 30-50 μm high. Hypothecium hyaline, prosoplectenchymatous (irregular), 100-150 μm high. Oil droplets present in hymenium to upper hypothecium. Paraphyses septate, anastomosing, 1-1.5 μm wide, generally simple or occasionally branched at tips, tips not swollen or slightly swollen, not pigmented, 1.5-2 μm wide. Asci narrowly clavate, 8-spored, 40-65 × 10-12 μm (n = 6). Ascospores simple and often biguttulate in the beginning then having an oval-shaped oil drop by assembly of guttules when mature, ellipsoid to narrowly ellipsoid, rarely globose, 8.5-17 × 4.2-7 μm (mean = 11.8 × 5.5 μm; SD = 1.9(L), 0.6(W); L/W ratio 1.4-3.1, ratio mean = 2.2, ratio SD = 0.4; n = 102). Pycnidia not detected.

Chemistry.

Thallus K+ yellow, KC-, C-, Pd-. Hymenium I+ blue. UV-. Atranorin and rhizocarpic acid were detected by TLC.

Distribution and ecology.

The species occurs on the rock (sandstone or basalt) nearby coast. The species is currently known from two localities in the southern coast of South Korea.

Etymology.

The species epithet indicates the insoluble large crystals present in the thalline excipulum of the lichen.

Notes.

The new species is morphologically similar to Protoparmeliopsis ertzii in having insoluble large crystals in the thalline excipulum and the absence of usnic acid, which are the key characteristics distinguishing them from all other species in the genus Protoparmeliopsis . However, the new species differs from P. ertzii by whitish thallus, flat to concave disc, paler disc color, longer ascospores, chemical reaction, presence of atranorin and rhizocarpic acid, and the substrate preference ( Bungartz et al. 2020).

The new species is compared with P. bipruinosa and P. nashii as those are closest to the new species in molecular results (Figs 4 and 5 ). However, the new species differs from P. bipruinosa by whitish thallus, absence of pruina, presence of large crystals, and the presence of atranorin and rhizocarpic acid ( Nash III et al. 2004).

The new species is different from P. nashii by whitish thallus, absence of pruina, presence of large crystals, and the presence of atranorin and rhizocarpic acid ( Nash III et al. 2004). Reference Table 3 provides specific characteristics distinguishing P. parasymmicta from closely related species above in Protoparmeliopsis .

Additional specimens examined.

South Korea, South Jeolla Province, Goheung, Yeongnam-myeon, Ucheon-ri , a coastal area, 34°37.02'N, 127°29.82'E, 31 m alt., on rock (basalt), 14 April 2020, B.G.Lee 2020-000098, with Caloplaca bogilana Y. Joshi & Hur, Circinaria caesiocinerea (Nyl. ex Malbr.) A. Nordin, Savić & Tibell, Pertusaria flavicans Lamy (BDNA-L-0000298; GenBank MW832796 for ITS, MW832802 for mtSSU, and MW832821 for LSU) ; same locality, on rock (basalt), 14 April 2020, B.G.Lee 2020-000099, with Buellia sp., Circinaria caesiocinerea (BDNA-L-0000299) ; same locality, on rock (basalt), 14 April 2020, B.G.Lee 2020-000100, with Buellia aff. nashii (BDNA-L-0000300) ; same locality, on rock (basalt), 14 April 2020, B.G.Lee 2020-000102, with Buellia sp., Caloplaca bogilana , Circinaria caesiocinerea , Endocarpon maritimum Y. Joshi & Hur, Parmotrema grayanum (Hue) Hale (BDNA-L-0000302) ; same locality, on rock (basalt), 14 April 2020, B.G.Lee 2020-000103, with Circinaria caesiocinerea , Endocarpon maritimum , Pertusaria flavicans (BDNA-L-0000303) ; same locality, on rock (basalt), 14 April 2020, B.G.Lee 2020-000105, with Buellia aff. nashii , Circinaria caesiocinerea , Pertusaria flavicans (BDNA-L-0000305) ; same locality, on rock (basalt), 14 April 2020, B.G.Lee 2020-000107, with Xanthoparmelia mexicana (Gyeln.) Hale (BDNA-L-0000307) ; same locality, on rock (basalt), 14 April 2020, B.G.Lee 2020-000108, with Caloplaca bogilana , Endocarpon maritimum , Pertusaria flavicans (BDNA-L-0000308) ; same locality, on rock (basalt), 14 April 2020, B.G.Lee 2020-000110, with Buellia aff. nashii , Buellia sp., Lecanora oreinoides ( Körb.) Hertel & Rambold (BDNA-L-0000310) .

Figures

Figure 4. Phylogenetic relationships amongst available species in the genus Protoparmeliopsis based on a Maximum Likelihood analysis of the dataset of ITS sequences. The tree was rooted with five sequences of the genus Polyozosia. Maximum Likelihood bootstrap values ≥ 70 % and posterior probabilities ≥ 95 % are shown above internal branches. Branches with bootstrap values ≥ 90 % are shown in bold. The new species Protoparmeliopsis crystalliniformis is presented in bold, and all species names are followed by the GenBank accession numbers. Reference Table 1 provides the species related to the specific GenBank accession numbers and voucher information.

Figure 5. Phylogenetic relationships amongst available species in the genus Protoparmeliopsis based on a Maximum Likelihood analysis of the dataset of the mitochondrial small subunit (mtSSU) sequences. The tree was rooted with three sequences of the genus Polyozosia. Maximum Likelihood bootstrap values ≥ 70 % and posterior probabilities ≥ 95 % are shown above internal branches. Branches with bootstrap values ≥ 90 % are shown in bold. The new species Protoparmeliopsis crystalliniformis is presented in bold, and all species names are followed by the GenBank accession numbers. Reference Table 1 provides the species related to the specific GenBank accession numbers and voucher information.

Figure 7. Protoparmeliopsis crystalliniformis morphology (BDNA-L- 0000349, holotype) A-C habitus and apothecia, areolate to squamulose thallus in white to whitish gray color D-E apothecia in vertical section F-G well-developed thalline margin H large crystals present in the thalline margin, not dissolving in KOH I clavate ascus J ascospores constantly simple and ellipsoid, often biguttulate in the beginning. Scale bars: 1 mm (A-C); 200 μm (D-E); 100 μm (F-G); 50 μm (H); 10 μm (I-J).