Kaernefeltia merrillii (Du Rietz) A. Thell & Goward

Data Set Maintenance: Data set standard item. Data set author(s): Thell A. Data set to be published after submission.

Nomenclature: Current taxonomic status: accepted. Taxonomic rank: species. Kaernefeltia. Parmeliaceae Zenker (1827); Lecanorineae; Lecanorales.

Taxonomic Literature: Kärnefelt, I. 1980. Botaniska Notiser 133: 569-577 (1980); Kärnefelt, I., Opera Botanica 86: 1-90 (1986); Thell, A. & Goward, T., The Bryologist 99: 125-136 (1996).

Biogeography: Continent: Europe and Northern America.

Ecology: Biotroph; lichenized; corticolous.

Thallus: Foliose or crustose, subdivided into main parts, and secondary or without secondary parts, irregular, subfruticose, lobed; branches bifacial; separate thallus parts (.5)-3.5-5-8-(11) mm wide. Thallus Size and Differentiation: 3 cm in diameter; 2.5-5 cm long; apex irregular; rounded. Upper Surface: Brown, concave, smooth; not convoluted; immaculate; epruinose; pseudocyphellate; pseudocyphellae isolated or reticulate, distributed all over the surface, sunken, central or laminal, punctiform, not prominent; wrinkled; eciliate; without hairs; isidiate; isidia central, peripheral, or laminal, marginal, on wrinkles, ramified, sparse, concolorous throughout, not paler or darker at the tip; not pustulate; not sorediate; tuberculate; lobulate. Lower Surface: Present, pale brown in the centre, pale brown along the margin; not cyphellate; wrinkled, wrinkles central or peripheral, reticulate, not predominantely oriented; not rhizinate; not tuberculate.

Hydrochasic Thallus Movement: Not performing hygrochasic thallus movement.

Upper Cortex: Double-layered; epicortex non-porous (i.e., forming a syncortex). Photobiont Layer: 0-20-60 µm thick, photobiont cells continuous, hyphal cells large, similar in size to medullar hyphae. Medulla: Single-layered; hyphae without particular orientation in upper part, predominantly along the lobe axis in lower part, not widened at the septum.

Reproduction Strategy: Only known as sterile, asexually reproducing form or with sexual (and possible asexual) stages. Ascocarps: Apothecioid, forming directly at the thallus margin, along the margin of the thallus parts, independently from the host thallus or mycelium, 1-4-6 mm in diam.. Margin: Epruinose; not sorediate; isidiate; without pseudocyphellae pseudocyphellae; not ciliate; not hirsute. Disk: Brown. Epithecium: Apical cells distinctly swollen. Hymenium: 40-55 µm high. Interascal Hyphae: Scarcely branched, not or scarcely anastomosed.

Asci: Narrowly clavate; with distinct flanks; ocular chamber present; narrow; dehiscence lecanoralean; dehiscent by rostrum-type dehiscence.

Ascospores: Not uniseriate, c. 8 per ascus, spores 8 per ascus, ellipsoid, 7-10.5 µm long, 4-5.5 µm wide; wall thin, not ornamented.

Conidiomata: Absent resp. not observed or present; formed on warts, all accross the thallus surface; supporting structure: scattered all accross the thallus surface.

Pycnidia: Wall brown; single-layered. Conidiogeneous Cells: Apical. Conidia: Bifusiform; 6-7 µm long.

Secondary Metabolites: Throughout the cortex or throughout the thallus medulla, lichesterinic acid and protolichesterinic acid.

(report generated 04.Okt.2007)