Schistophoron aurantiacum Aptroot & Sipman, 2007

Torres, Jean Marc, Spielmann, Adriano Afonso, Aptroot, André, Cardoso, Karen Fernandes & Honda, Neli Kika, 2020, The lichen genus Schistophoron Stirt. (Ascomycetes, Graphidaceae) in Brazil with a world key to the species, Cryptogamie, Mycologie 20 (13), pp. 211-217 : 212

Schistophoron aurantiacum Aptroot & Sipman

Bibliotheca Lichenologica 96: 22 (2007). —

Type: Costa Rica. Puntarenas: Parque Nacional Carara (Area de Conservación Pacífico Central), 60 km WSW of San Jose on road from Orotina to Quepos, trail from visitor’s center to Quebrada Bonita, 9°47’N, 84°35’W, 100 m elev., lowland moist forest zone: partly disturbed primary forest along stream with dense Erythrochiton gymnanthus understory, on bark (stem) in clearing, 18.VII.2002, H. Sipman 48386d (holo-, B[B]; iso-, INBio[INBio]), fide Aptroot & Sipman (2007).

KNOWN DISTRIBUTION. — Only known from Costa Rica ( Aptroot & Sipman 2007).

NOTES

This species is characterized by the white thallus with an orange hue, orange-brown prothallus, sessile and elliptical to shortly lirelliform, partially orange pruinose ascomata with carbonized wall, and grey to blackish-brown, uniseptate and ellipsoid (10-12 × 5-7 Μm) ascospores ( Aptroot & Sipman 2007).

Schistophoron aurantiacum has lichexanthone in the thallus, being UV+ deep yellow and an orange, K+ deep violet red anthraquinone in the ascoma wall, thallus and especially the prothallus ( Aptroot & Sipman 2007). This is the only known species in the genus with lichexanthone,and the only one with an anthraquinone.