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Letharia (Th. Fr.) Zahlbr. (1892)

Data Set Maintenance: Data set standard item. Data set author(s): Rambold G. Data set reviewer(s): Elix J. A. (95-06-01) and Scholz P. (02-05-15); revised; to be published after submission.

Nomenclature: Current taxonomic status: accepted. Taxonomic rank: genus. Number of known taxa within this rank: 2 (A. Aptroot 99-09-27). Letharia. Parmeliaceae Zenker (1827); Lecanorineae; Lecanorales.

Type Information: Type: Letharia vulpina (L.) Hue.

Taxonomic Literature: Poelt J., Bestimmungsschlüssel Europäischer Flechten: 1-757 [376-377] (1969); Ryan B.D. in: Nash T.H. III et al. (eds) Lichen Flora of the Greater Sonoran Desert Region vol. 1, 267-270, Tempe (2002); Thomson J.W., Taxon 18: 535-537 (1969).

Biogeography: Checklist records: Austria, Germany, Italy, Sonoran Desert, Sweden and Norway, and United States and Canada (continental).

Ecology: Biotroph; lichenized; lignicolous or corticolous.

Lichen Photobionts: Primary photobiont present; chlorococcal. Primary photobiont taxonomy: Trebouxia; Trebouxiaceae; Trebouxiales, Trebouxiophyceae, Eukariota. Secondary photobiont absent.

Thallus: Fruticose, not subdivided parts. Upper Surface: Yellow; special structures absent or present:; not pseudocyphellate; eciliate; without hairs; not isidate or isidiate; not sorediate or sorediate; not cephalodiate; not lobulate; without granules granules, without thalloconidia thalloconidia. Lower Surface: Attached by holdfasts; special structures absent.

Reproduction Strategy: Only known as sterile, asexually reproducing form or with sexual (and possible asexual) stages. Ascocarps: Apothecioid, orbicular, forming all across the thallus surface, soon sessile to stipitate. Margin: Prominent; external filaments absent. Exciple: Yellow (pale yellowish) or white. Periphyses: Absent. Epithecium: Apical cells brownish yellow. Interascal Hyphae: Present, scarcely branched, not or scarcely anastomosed. Hypothecium: White.

Asci: Tholus thickened, amyloid, with non-amyloid wide axial body and divergent amyloid flanks towards apex; dehiscence lecanoralean.

Ascospores: c. 8 per ascus, broadly ellipsoid or ellipsoid, 5-7-(8) µm long, (3.5)-4-5 µm wide, obtuse; septa absent; wall thin, not thickened at the septum, hyaline, in Lugol's Solution negative, wall not ornamented.

Conidiomata: Absent resp. not observed or present; pycnidial; immersed, formed all accross the thallus surface.

Conidiogeneous Cells: Intercalar. Conidia: Lageniform.

Secondary Metabolites: Present, of the following substance class(es): ß-orcinol depsides, (higher) aliphatic acids, pulvinic acid derivatives, and dibenzofurans [and usnic acids].

(report generated 04.Okt.2007)


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