Pyxine sorediata (Ach.) Mont.

Data Set Maintenance: Data set compiled (from Sonoran Desert Lichen Flora). Data set author(s): Bungartz F. (02-04-26). Data set to be published after submission; February 2002.

Nomenclature: Current taxonomic status: accepted. Taxonomic rank: species. Currently accepted name Pyxine sorediata (Ach.) Mont. Pyxine. Synonyms: Pyxine cocoes var. sorediata (Ach.) Tuck.; Physciaceae Zahlbr. (1898); Lecanorineae; Lecanorales.

Type Information: Basionym: Lecidea sorediata Ach. Type: Pyxine sorediata (Ach.) Mont.

Biogeography: Mediterranean (not mediterranean but temperate) and subtropical; coastal, colline, submontane, montane, upper montane, and subalpine. Continent: Africa (and Laurimacaronesia), Asia-Temperate, Australasia, Europe, and Northern America. Checklist records: Mexico, Sonoran Desert, and United States and Canada (continental).

Ecology: Biotroph; lichenized; bryophytic, lignicolous, or corticolous; episubstratic; growing sun-exposed or partially shaded; under conditions which are dry or moist; substrate non-calciferous.

Thallus: Foliose, subdivided into main parts, lobed; lobes subconcave or plane; separate thallus parts.6-1.3 mm wide. Thallus Size and Differentiation: Up to 8 cm in diameter. Upper Surface: Grey-blue, grey-yellow (beige), or grey-brown; sometimes pruinose; pruina whitish; pseudocyphellate (very distinct, true pseudocyphellae); pseudocyphellae usually isolated or reticulate (sometimes), peripheral, marginal; eciliate; without hairs; not isidate; sorediate; soralia laminal (at maturity) or subperipheral, linear (along the margin), soredia usually coarse or farinose (rarely); not blastidiate; not schizidiate; not lobulate. Lower Surface: Present, grey (towards lobe margins), black in the centre, grey along the margin, loosely attached attached; attached by holdfasts (true rhizines); rhizines abundant, black or grey (to blackish blue), branched, sparsely furcate; not sorediate; not tomentose.

Upper Cortex: Present; outer cortical layer paraplectenchymatous (formed by anticlinal hyphae); inner cortical layer prosoplectenchymatous (formed by periclinal hyphae). Medulla: White (lower medulla) or lemon (citrine). Lower Cortex: Present.

Reproduction Strategy: Rarely with sexual (and possible asexual) stages. Ascocarps: Apothecioid (obscurascens-type), orbicular, forming all across the thallus surface, soon sessile or substipitate, sparse, .5-1.4 mm in diam.. Margin: Lecideine/biatorine, smooth, excluded, distinct. Disk: Plane or weakly convex; black; epruinose. Exciple: Carbonized. Epithecium: Apical cells brownish blue (not bluish brown but bluish black), cell pigment reacting with 10% KOH (K+ purple). Hypothecium: White (lower part of the stipe).

Asci: Dehiscence lecanoralean (with thickened apex wall layers (apex I+ blue), with distinct axial body).

Ascospores: Dirinaria-type, c. 8 per ascus, spores 8 per ascus, ellipsoid, 14-19 µm long, 6-8 µm wide; septa present; transversally septate; wall apically thickened, subapically not thickened, thickened at the septum, becoming pigmented, dark brown (at maturity) or middle brown.

Conidiomata: Present.

Conidiophores: Vobis-type VI. Conidia: Bacilliform; 3-4 µm long; 1 µm wide.

Secondary Metabolites: Present; only in the upper part of the cortex, atranorin, metabolite(s) of unresolved identity: present (unknown terpenes with characteristic pattern and unknown pigment in the medulla).

Spot Tests: Present reactions. Upper surface: K – (negative) or usually + deep yellow, C –, KC –, PD – cortex: KC – or usually + deep yellow, –, PD – medulla: K – or + yellow changing to red (upper part of the stipe); C –, KC – or + red (purple reaction of upper part of the stipe), PD – lower surface: K – soredia: K – KC –.

UV-Fluorescence: Upper thallus surface – (negative).

(report generated 13.Nov.2007)