Protoblastenia (Zahlbr.) J. Steiner (1911)

Data Set Maintenance: Data set standard item. Data set author(s): Rambold G. Data set not revised; to be published after submission.

Nomenclature: Current taxonomic status: accepted. Taxonomic rank: genus. Number of known taxa within this rank: 11. Protoblastenia. Synonyms: Chrysopsora testacea (Hoffm.) Choisy); Psoraceae Zahlbr. (1898); Cladoniineae; Lecanorales.

Type Information: Type: Protoblastenia rupestris (Scop.) J. Steiner.

Taxonomic Literature: Clauzade G. & Roux C., Bull. Soc. Bot. Centre-Ouest N.S. - Numero Special 7: 1-893 [638-639] (1985); Galloway D.J., Flora of New Zealand Lichens: i-lxxiii, 1-662 [418-419], Wellington (1985); Orange A. in: Purvis O.W. et al. (eds), The Lichen Flora of Great Britain and Ireland, London (1992); Poelt J. & Vezda A., Biblioth. Lichenol. 9: 1-258 [205-211] (1977).

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

Ecology: Biotroph; lichenized; substrate calciferous.

Lichen Photobionts: Primary photobiont present; chlorococcal. Secondary photobiont absent.

Thallus: Indistinct or crustose, not subdivided parts, granular or rimose. Upper Surface: Green, grey, brownish yellow, olive, or white; special structures absent. Lower Surface: Attached by the whole lower surface; 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, not emerging, becoming adnate to soon sessile. Margin: Indistinct to distinct; external filaments absent. Exciple: White or brownish yellow. Periphyses: Absent. Epithecium: Apical cells orange or red. Interascal Hyphae: Present, scarcely branched, not or scarcely anastomosed. Hypothecium: Brown, white, brownish yellow, or violet.

Asci: Tholus thickened, amyloid, with amyloid tube; dehiscence lecanoralean.

Ascospores: c. 8 per ascus, ellipsoid, broadly ellipsoid, or globose, 4-17 µm long, 4.5-8 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.

Secondary Metabolites: Present, of the following substance class(es): (anthra-)quinones and dibenzofurans [and usnic acids].

(report generated 04.Okt.2007)