Parmotrema mellissii (C. W. Dodge) Hale

Data Set Maintenance: Data set standard item. Data set author(s): Nash T.H. Data set reviewer(s): Nash T.H.

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

Type Information: Type: Parmelia mellissii Dodge.

Taxonomic Literature: Dodge 1959 Hale 1965.

Biogeography: Subtropical and neotropical; montane. Continent: Northern America, Southern America, and Asia-Tropical. Checklist records: Japan, Mexico, Sonoran Desert, and United States and Canada (continental).

Ecology: Biotroph; lichenized; corticolous.

Thallus: Foliose, subdivided into main parts, and secondary or without secondary parts, sub irregular, continuous throughout, lobed; lobes elongate, horizontal; plane; branches applanate (moderately flattened); bifacial; not segmented; separate thallus parts 6-9-12 mm wide. Thallus Size and Differentiation: 5-7.5-10 cm in diameter; main branches basally not constricted; apex rounded. Upper Surface: Grey, plane, matt, smooth; not fissurate; not foveate; not convoluted; immaculate; without patches; epruinose; not pseudocyphellate; not wrinkled; ciliate; cilia slender, marginal or among isidia; without hairs; isidiate; isidia central or peripheral, submarginal, cylindrical, ramified, coralloid; without isidiomorphs; not papillate, not pustulate; not sorediate; not tuberculate; not lobulate. Lower Surface: Present, black, black in the centre, brown (to tan to mottled white) along the margin; attached by holdfasts; not cyphellate; not wrinkled; rhizinate; rhizines moderately abundant, with a broad non-rhizinate margin, black, not branched; not tuberculate.

Hydrochasic Thallus Movement: Not performing hygrochasic thallus movement.

Upper Cortex: Double-layered.

Reproduction Strategy: With sexual (and possible asexual) stages. Ascocarps: Apothecioid, forming all across the thallus surface, all across the surface, sparse, 2-3.5-5 mm in diam.. Margin: Crenulate, epruinose; not sorediate; not isidiate; without pseudocyphellae pseudocyphellae; not ciliate; not hirsute. Disk: Brown. Hymenium: 80-85-90 µm high.

Asci: Dehiscence lecanoralean.

Ascospores: c. 8 per ascus, broadly ellipsoid, 16-19-22 µm long, 10-12-14 µm wide.

Conidiomata: Absent resp. not observed.

Secondary Metabolites: Present; only in the upper part of the cortex, throughout the cortex, or throughout the thallus medulla, alectoronic acid or atranorin, metabolite(s) of unresolved identity: absent.

Spot Tests: Cortex: KC + deep yellow; medulla: K – or + bluish red, C –, KC + orange, PD –.

(report generated 04.Okt.2007)