Physcia poncinsii Hue

Data Set Maintenance: Data set compiled (from Sonoran Lichen Flora Vol.1). Data set author(s): Bungartz F. (02-02-21). Data set to be published after submission; February 2002.

Nomenclature: Current taxonomic status: accepted. Taxonomic rank: species. Currently accepted name Physcia poncinsii Hue. Physcia. Physciaceae Zahlbr. (1898); Lecanorineae; Lecanorales.

Type Information: Basionym: Parmelia poncinsii Hue. Type: Physcia poncinsii Hue.

Biogeography: Northern hemispheric; subtropical, pantropical, neotropical, and palaeotropic; coastal, colline, and submontane. Continent: Northern America and Southern America. Checklist records: Mexico, Sonoran Desert, and United States and Canada (continental).

Ecology: Biotroph; lichenized; corticolous (on twigs) or saxicolous; episubstratic; growing sun-exposed or partially shaded; under conditions which are dry or moist.

Thallus: Foliose, subdivided into main parts, lobed; lobes plane; sometimes imbricate; separate thallus parts 1-2 mm wide. Thallus Size and Differentiation: Up to (3) cm in diameter. Thallus Outline: Irregular or orbicular; soon disappearing. Upper Surface: White, matt or glossy (shiny) (some specimens on rocks); maculate (as white dots) or sometimes immaculate; maculae punctiform; epruinose or pruinose (with or without pruina); eciliate; without hairs; not isidate; sorediate; soralia laminal or subperipheral (in some specimens), almost capitate, punctiform, irregular, or linear (development starts from cracks), fully excavated, confluent, but not fusing (may develop into rounded patches); not blastidiate; not schizidiate; not lobulate. Lower Surface: Present, pale grey, white, or pale brown; attached by holdfasts (true rhizines); rhizinate; rhizines white, without projections, not branched or branched (rhizines simple to sparsely furcate), sparsely furcate; not sorediate; not tomentose.

Upper Cortex: Present; outer cortical layer paraplectenchymatous; inner cortical layer prosoplectenchymatous or paraplectenchymatous (intermediate type). Medulla: White. Lower Cortex: Present.

Reproduction Strategy: With sexual (and possible asexual) stages. Ascocarps: Apothecioid, orbicular, soon sessile or substipitate, sparse, up to 1.5 mm in diam.. Margin: Lecanorine, persistent, distinct; sometimes sorediate; not isidiate; not ciliate; not hirsute. Disk: Plane; black or brown. Epithecium: With epithecium (simple or forked); apical cells subulate (clavate with dark brown cap), pale brown. Hymenium: White; not inspers. Interascal Hyphae: Scarcely branched (paraphyses simple or forked above). Subhymenium: White. Hypothecium: White; not inspers.

Asci: Cylindrical; dehiscence lecanoralean (Lecanora-Type).

Ascospores: Pachysporaria-type, c. 8 per ascus, ellipsoid, (16)-19-24.5-(26) µm long, (7.5)-8.5-10.5-(11) µm wide; septa present; transversally septate; 1-transversally septate; wall thickened at the septum, becoming pigmented, dark brown (at maturity) or middle brown.

Conidiomata: Present; sparse.

Conidia: Bacilliform (not bacilliform but cylindrical); 4-6 µm long; 1 µm wide.

Secondary Metabolites: Present; throughout the thallus medulla (atranorin, zeorin and sometimes unidentified substances), atranorin or hopane-6a,22-diol (with triterpenes), metabolite(s) of unresolved identity: present (sometimes).

Spot Tests: Present reactions. Upper surface: K + deep yellow, C –, KC –, PD + yellow; cortex: KC + deep yellow, –, PD + yellow; medulla: K + yellow; C –, KC –, PD + deep yellow; soredia: K + deep yellow; KC –.

(report generated 13.Nov.2007)