Lecanographa dimelaenoides (Egea & Torrente) Egea & Torrente

Data Set Maintenance: Data set authentic and standard item. Data set author(s): Egea J. M. & Torrente P. (00-03-22). Data set not to be published after submission.

Nomenclature: Current taxonomic status: accepted. Taxonomic rank: species. Lecanographa. Synonyms: Lecanactis dimelaenoides Egea & Torrente; genus of unknown placement (incertae sedis) (Roccellaceae Chevall. 1826); Arthoniales.

Taxonomic Literature: Egea J.M.& Torrente P., The Bryologist 95: 161-165 (1992); Egea J.M. & Torrente P., Bibliotheca Lichenologica 54: 1-205 (1994).

Biogeography: Continent: Northern America. Checklist records: Sonoran Desert.

Ecology: Biotroph; lichenized; episubstratic; growing partially shaded or fully shaded; under conditions which are moist; substrate non-calciferous.

Lichen Photobionts: Primary photobiont present; trentepohlioid.

Thallus: Crustose, areolate (primarily areolate); separate thallus parts thick. Thallus Outline: Soon disappearing. Upper Surface: Grey or pale grey, smooth; special structures absent; epruinose; without hairs; not sorediate.

Reproduction Strategy: With sexual (and possible asexual) stages. Ascocarps: Apothecioid, orbicular or irregular, forming independently from the host thallus or mycelium, not emerging, becoming adnate, not constricted at the base, moderately abundant, .3-1.7 mm in diam.. Margin: Smooth, excluded, distinct or indistinct, black or dark brown, slightly pruinose; with surface structures surface structures; external filaments absent. Disk: Slightly excavate to plane to weakly convex; black or dark brown; fully exposed, pruinose, pruina scarce or abundant, pale grey. Exciple: Hyphae not easily discerned; carbonized; brownish red; inspersed with crystals. Amphithecium (thalline excipulum): Photobiont absent. Amphithecial Cortex: Absent. Episamma: With episamma; insoluble in KOH. Epithecium: With epithecium; apical cells not swollen or slightly swollen, surrounded by a diffuse pigment, dark brown or brown. Hymenium: 110-130 µm high; white; iodine reaction: Lugol’s negative; hemiamyloid. Interascal Hyphae: Present, distinctly branched, distinctly anastomosed; cells 1.5 µm wide. Subhymenium: 40-60 µm high; pale brownish red. Hypothecium: Brownish red; pigment homogenously distributed throughout.

Asci: Clavate; indistinctly stipitate, 80-110 µm long, 18-22 µm wide; tholus thickened, amyloid, hemiamyloid, in Lugol's Solution + light blue, with amyloid tube; dehiscence bitunicate; endoascus with a hemiamyloid inner layer.

Ascospores: c. 8 per ascus, fusiform, at least 2532 µm long, 6.5-8-(9) µm wide, obtuse; septa present; 7-(8)-transversally septate; lumina apically enlarged, constricted at the centre; wall thin, becoming pigmented, middle brown or hyaline, not ornamented, distinctly halonate, i.e., with a thick mucilaginous sheath.

Conidiomata: Present; pycnidial; sparse.

Conidia: Filiform; microconidial; 6-9-(13) µm long; 1.5 µm wide; aseptate.

Secondary Metabolites: Present; erythrin, gyrophoric acid, or lecanoric acid.

Spot Tests: Present reactions. Upper surface: K – (negative), C + red, PD – ascocarp margin (in section): K + green.

(report generated 25.Okt.2007)