Lecaimmeria tibetica C.M. Xie & Xin Y. Wang, 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

Lecaimmeria tibetica C.M. Xie & Xin Y. Wang sp. nov.

Figure 10a-e

Etymology.

The name " Lecaimmeria tibetica " refers to the location from which the holotype was collected: “Tibet”, an autonomous region of China.

Type.

China. Tibet: Gongga Co., Jiangtang Town , 4557 m elev., 29°12'N, 90°38'E, on rock, 9 Sept 2019, Xin-Yu Wang et al. XY19-1291 (KUN-holotype) .

Description.

Thallus areolate, orange-brown, epruinose; areolae 0.3-0.5 mm across, irregular, upper surface uneven, margin lacking, pruinose; prothallus black, distinct at the margin. Upper cortex 17.0-33.0 μm thick, brown; epinecral layer 10.0-20.0 μm thick; algal layer ca. 75.0 μm thick, cells 7.0-10.0 diam., round. Apothecia rare, immersed or isolated from areolae, 0.2-0.5 mm in diam.; disc dark orange-brown, epruinose, flat, slightly convex; margin pruinose. Hymenium 105.0-138.0 μm thick, colourless; paraphyses ca. 2.0 μm wide, unbranched, not anastomosing; epihymenium ca. 25.0 μm thick, orange; plectenchyma ca. 12.0 μm thick; subhymenium almost absent, colourless; hypothecium brown. Asci Porpidia -type, cylindrical, eight-spored; ascospores 12.5-15.0 × 5.0-6.0 μm, ellipsoid, halonate. Conidiomata immersed, oblate, black, margin pruinose; conidia 5.0 × 1.5-2.0 μm in diam., bacilliform.

Chemistry.

Thallus K-, C-. Medulla I+ violet. None.

Ecology and distribution.

In China, growing on quartz sandstone at elevations of 4300-4600 m in the alpine zone. This species is known from Tibet, China.

Notes.

Lecaimmeria tibetica is characterised by the orange-brown thallus, the black pigmentation of the areolae margin and the dark orange-brown and small size of the apothecia. Lecaimmeria tibetica is similar to L. mongolica (see notes for L. mongolica ). The red-brown apothecia of Lecaimmeria cupreoatra resembles L. tibetica , but that species differs in its dark red-brown thallus and the presence of gyrophoric acid.

Specimens examined (KUN).

China. Tibet: Gongga Co., Jiangtang Town, 4583 m elev., 29°12'N, 90°38'E, on rock, 2019, Xin-Yu Wang et al. XY 19-1288, 4557 m elev., XY 19-1291, 4560 m elev., XY19-1280; Dingri Co. , Zhaguozhong, 4310 m elev., 28°35'N, 86°53'E, Li-Song Wang et al. 19-64071 .

Figures

Figure 10. Lecaimmeria tibetica (a-e KUN XY 19 - 1288): a-b thallus c apothecial anatomy d ascus e ascospore. L. tuberculosa (f-i KUN 18 - 58864): f thallus g conidiomata h apothecial anatomy i ascospores. Scale bars: 1 mm (a-b, f-g); 20 μm (c); 50 μm (h); 10 μm (d, e, i).