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New data for Rinodina flavosoralifera

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 October 2010

Mireia GIRALT ,
Pieter P. G. van den BOOM ,
Tor TØNSBERG  and
John A. ELIX
Mireia GIRALT
Affiliation:
Departament de Bioquímica i Biotecnologia (Àrea de Botànica), Facultat d'Enologia de Tarragona, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Marcel·lí Domingo s/n, 43007, Tarragona, Spain. Email: mireia.giralt@urv.cat
Pieter P. G. van den BOOM
Affiliation:
Arafura 16, 5691 JA, Son, The Netherlands.
Tor TØNSBERG
Affiliation:
Museum of Natural History, University of Bergen, Allégt. 41, P.O. Box 7800, N-5020 Bergen, Norway.
John A. ELIX
Affiliation:
Research School of Chemistry, Building 33, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia.
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Abstract

Well-developed ascospores of Rinodina flavosoralifera have been observed for the first time. The ascospores are described and illustrated and new data on the chemistry and distribution of this species are provided. New chorological data on Rinodina disjuncta are also included.

Keywords

Canary IslandschemistrydistributionmorphologyPhysciaceaerare lichens
Type
Research Article
Information
The Lichenologist , Volume 42 , Issue 6 , November 2010 , pp. 693 - 696
Copyright
Copyright © British Lichen Society 2010

Introduction

Rinodina flavosoralifera was first described by Tønsberg (Reference Tønsberg1992). Although it has since been collected several times no specimen has been reported to have well-developed ascospores, an important character for distinguishing species of Rinodina and for segregating genera in the Physciaceae. The study of well-developed, fertile specimens from the Canary Islands has revealed that this species has typical Polyblastidium-type ascospores, an ascospore type previously known only in the genus Heterodermia in the Physciaceae. A brief description and drawings of the ascospores are presented here.

Methods

The specimens were examined by standard techniques using stereoscopic and compound microscopes. Ascospores were measured mounted in distilled water and ascus tip structures were observed after pretreatment with K and washing with distilled water before the application of Lugol's iodine. The chemical constituents were identified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) according to methods described by Elix et al. (Reference Elix, Giralt and Wardlaw2003).

The Species

Rinodina flavosoralifera Tønsberg

Sommerfeltia 14: 289–290 (1992); type: Norway, Hordaland, Bergen, Store Milde, Fana Folkehøgskole, 20−40 m, on a mossy trunk of Prunus avium, 1988, T. Tønsberg 11375 (BG—holotype!).

(Fig. 1)

Fig. 1. Ascospore ontogeny and ascospore variability of Rinodina flavosoralifera (P. & B. v.d. Boom 42446, hb. v.d. Boom). A, Type A ontogeny and young colourless ascospores; B, mature ascospores of Pachysporaria-type and of Polyblastidium-type showing one or more sporoblastidia arising from each end of the two main lumina and a well developed torus; C, overmature, 3-septate ascospore. Scale = 10 µm.

Thallus morphology is totally in accordance with previous descriptions (Tønsberg Reference Tønsberg1992; Mayrhofer & Moberg Reference Mayrhofer and Moberg2002; Giavarini et al. Reference Giavarini, James, Purvis, Smith, Aptroot, Coppins, James and Wolseley2009).

Apothecia lecanorine, 0·3–0·5 mm diam., sessile, constricted at the base. Thalline margin entire, thick, rather prominent, persistent, concolorous with the areolae. Proper margin visible as a ring within the thalline margin. Disc flat, brown, ± covered by a whitish pruina. Excipulum thallinum 55−70 µm thick laterally, expanded below to 80−120 µm. Cortex paraplectenchymatous, nearly indistinct to 10 µm wide laterally, expanded below to 45−60(−100) µm, I−. Excipulum proprium colourless, 10–20 µm wide laterally, expanded above to 30−60(−70) µm. Hymenium hyaline, up to 180 µm high. Epihymenium pale brown inspersed with crystals (pruina). Hypothecium hyaline, 40−60 µm deep. Paraphyses with pale brown apical cells, slightly enlarged, 2−3 µm wide. Asci Lecanora-type (Rambold et al. Reference Rambold, Mayrhofer and Matzer1994), 8-spored. Ascospores colourless when immature, 12−17 × 7−10 µm; mature ascospores brown, 22−30 × 11−17 µm, Pachysporaria-type at first but usually developing sporoblastidia and then becoming Polyblastidium-type (Kurokawa Reference Kurokawa1962); sporoblastidia arising from each end of the two main lumina, rarely from the lateral parts (Fig. 1B & C); overmature ascospores 3-septate (Fig. 1C) or even submuriform; walls not ornamented, torus well developed, ontogeny of type A (Giralt Reference Giralt2001) (Fig. 1A).

Pycnidia and conidia not seen in the material studied here. According to Tønsberg (Reference Tønsberg1992), the only pycnidium observed was similar to the apothecia in form and size and the conidia were rod–shaped, 4−5 × c. 1 µm.

Chemistry [v. d. Boom 42446]. Arthothelin [major], thiophanic acid [minor], 6-O-methylarthothelin [minor], 4,5-dichloronorlichexanthone [trace]. The latter two substances were not reported previously from this species.

Observations. As the morphology of the thallus, the chemistry and the immature ascospores are identical with that reported previously for this species, we are certain that the Canarian specimens belong to R. flavosoralifera. As a consequence, R. flavosoralifera can now be characterized by the yellowish thallus composed of sorediate areolae, the presence of the arthothelin chemosyndrome and the large Pachysporaria-type ascospores which develop sporoblastidia (Polyblastidum-type), have smooth walls and exhibit a very well-developed torus.

The Polyblastidium-type ascospore together with the presence of xanthones make R. flavosoralifera unique within the genus Rinodina and supports the uncertainty of its generic position as indicated by other authors (Mayrhofer & Moberg Reference Mayrhofer and Moberg2002; Giavarini et al. Reference Giavarini, James, Purvis, Smith, Aptroot, Coppins, James and Wolseley2009).

According to the literature, typical Polyblastidium-type ascospores are only known from some species of the foliose genus Heterodermia Trevis. (cf. Kurokawa Reference Kurokawa1962; Poelt Reference Poelt1965). However, some other Rinodina species have been described with ascospores somewhat similar to the Polyblastidium-type, including R. subanceps (Nyl.) Zahlbr. (cf. Mayrhofer Reference Mayrhofer1984), R. verruciformis Sheard (cf. Sheard & Mayrhofer Reference Sheard and Mayrhofer2002) and the R. dolichospora-group (cf. Giralt et al. Reference Giralt, Kalb and Mayrhofer2009). As far as the chemistry is concerned, at present the only Rinodina species known to contain xanthones are R. thiomela (Nyl.) Müll. Arg. and R. xanthomelana Müll. Arg. from the Southern Hemisphere, the pantropical R. lepida (Nyl.) Müll. Arg. (all three contain thiomelin and various congeners, cf. Leuckert & Mayrhofer Reference Leuckert and Mayrhofer1984; Trinkaus et al. Reference Trinkaus, Elix and Mayrhofer2002)and R. efflorescens Malme and R. sheardii Tønsberg (both containing secalonic acid A, see Elix & Tønsberg Reference Elix and Tønsberg1999) from the Northern Hemisphere. A further Rinodina species probably contains xanthones, namely R. chrysomelaena (Ach.) Tuck., since it has a citrine thallus which reacts C+ faint orange (Lendemer & Sheard Reference Lendemer and Sheard2006). However, none of these Rinodina species have Polyblastidium-type ascospores.

Ecology and distribution. The specimen v. d. Boom 42446 was growing together with Rinodina disjuncta Sheard & Tønsberg, Frullania sp., Hypogymnia tavaresii D. Hawksw. & P. James, Micarea peliocarpa (Anzi) Coppins & R. Sant., Placynthiella dasaea (Stirt.) Tønsberg, Trapeliopsis granulosa (Hoffm.) Lumbsch and Usnea spp., on the main branches of Erica arborea, on a gently sloping hill with grassy undergrowth. Elsewhere trunks and branches of the same phorophyte have been found to support Evernia prunastri (L.) Ach., Heterodermia obscurata (Nyl.) Trevis., Parmotrema perlatum (Huds.) M. Choisy and P. reticulatum (Taylor) M. Choisy.

Rinodina flavosoralifera is known from Norway (Tønsberg Reference Tønsberg1992; Mayrhofer & Moberg Reference Mayrhofer and Moberg2002), from the western Pyrenees (van den Boom et al. Reference van den Boom, Etayo and Breuss1995), from Alaska (Tønsberg Reference Tønsberg2002) and from England, Wales and Scotland (Coppins & O'Dare Reference Coppins, O'Dare and Hitch1994; Giavarini et al. Reference Giavarini, James, Purvis, Smith, Aptroot, Coppins, James and Wolseley2009). Previously R. disjuncta was known from Norway and the Pacific coast of North America, from Alaska to northern California (Tønsberg Reference Tønsberg1992; Sheard Reference Sheard1995; Mayrhofer & Moberg Reference Mayrhofer and Moberg2002).

Both Rinodina flavosoralifera and R. disjuncta show a western European – north-west North American disjunct distribution. Both are new records for the Canary Islands (cf. van den Boom et al. Reference van den Boom, Giralt and Etayo2008) and for Africa and constitute the most southern known records for both species.

Additional specimens examined. Canary Islands: El Hierro: near top of mountain range, NNW of El Pinar, along road to El Pinar, c. 900 m S of crossing with road H1-1, SW of Montaña de la Fuente, rim of ‘Fayal Brezal’ forest, open area with scattered trees, 1300 m, on mature Erica arborea (together with Rinodina disjuncta), 17º59.70′W; 27º44.00′N, 2009, P. & B. van den Boom 42446 (hb. v.d. Boom). Gran Canaria: 30–40 m (vertical) uphill from country road GC-216 between Artenara village and Mt Tamadaba, 28°01.508′N; 15°39.791′W, 1170–1180 m, corticolous near base of trunks of Pinus canariensis in P. canariensis forest in steep N-facing slope, 2007, T. Tønsberg 37706 (to be distributed in Tønsberg, Lich. isid. sored. crust. exs.), 37707 (BG, fertile).

The first author is indebted to the Spanish Government for funding the project CGL2007-66734-C03-02/BOS.

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Figure 0

Fig. 1. Ascospore ontogeny and ascospore variability of Rinodina flavosoralifera (P. & B. v.d. Boom 42446, hb. v.d. Boom). A, Type A ontogeny and young colourless ascospores; B, mature ascospores of Pachysporaria-type and of Polyblastidium-type showing one or more sporoblastidia arising from each end of the two main lumina and a well developed torus; C, overmature, 3-septate ascospore. Scale = 10 µm.