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A new saxicolous species of Diploschistes (Thelotremataceae) from the Canary Islands

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 December 2011

Israel PÉREZ-VARGAS ,
Consuelo HERNÁNDEZ-PADRÓN ,
Pedro L. PÉREZ DE PAZ  and
John A. ELIX
Israel PÉREZ-VARGAS
Affiliation:
Departamento de Biología Vegetal (Botánica), Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife 38201, Canary Islands, Spain. Email: ispeva@ull.es
Consuelo HERNÁNDEZ-PADRÓN
Affiliation:
Departamento de Biología Vegetal (Botánica), Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife 38201, Canary Islands, Spain. Email: ispeva@ull.es
Pedro L. PÉREZ DE PAZ
Affiliation:
Departamento de Biología Vegetal (Botánica), Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife 38201, Canary Islands, Spain. Email: ispeva@ull.es
John A. ELIX
Affiliation:
Research School of Chemistry, Building 33, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia.
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Abstract

Diploschistes albopruinosus is described as new to science. This species is found on siliceous rocks in La Caldera de Taburiente National Park (La Palma, Canary Islands). A description of the species is given together with notes on its chemistry, distribution, ecology and taxonomy. Related lichen taxa are discussed.

Keywords

biodiversityLa PalmalichenMacaronesiataxonomy
Type
Research Article
Information
The Lichenologist , Volume 44 , Issue 1 , January 2012 , pp. 67 - 71
Copyright
Copyright British Lichen Society This is a work of the U.S. Government and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States2011

Introduction

The genus Diploschistes Norman has a worldwide distribution with approximately 35 species, being particularly common in arid and semi-arid regions where it occurs mainly on rocks and soil, although facultatively corticolous species are also known (Lumbsch & Tehler Reference Lumbsch and Tehler1998; Fletcher & Hawksworth Reference Fletcher, Hawksworth, Smith, Aptroot, Coppins, Fletcher, Gilbert, James and Wolseley2009). The genus is characterized by a crustose thallus, a blackish pigmented pseudoparenchymatous proper exciple, lateral paraphyses and a trebouxioid photobiont (Lumbsch Reference Lumbsch1989; Martin et al. Reference Martín, LaGreca and Lumbsch2003). The Holarctic species were monographed by Lumbsch (Reference Lumbsch1989). Subsequently, several additional papers have been published focusing on specific geographic areas (Pant & Upreti Reference Pant and Upreti1993; Guderley & Lumbsch Reference Guderley and Lumbsch1996; Lumbsch & Elix Reference Lumbsch and Elix2003; Mangold et al. Reference Mangold, Elix and Lumbsch2009), with the description of some new species and combinations (Lumbsch & Elix Reference Lumbsch and Elix1985, Reference Lumbsch and Elix1989; Lumbsch & Mayrhofer Reference Lumbsch and Mayrhofer1990; Lumbsch & Aptroot Reference Lumbsch and Aptroot1993; Lumbsch & Mangold Reference Lumbsch and Mangold2007). According to preliminary molecular studies, the genus is a monophyletic group (Martín et al. Reference Martín, LaGreca and Lumbsch2003).

The lichen biota of the Canary Islands is rich, with more than 1500 species listed for an area of just 7447 km2 (Hernández Padrón & Pérez-Vargas Reference Hernández Padrón, Pérez-Vargas, Arechavaleta, Rodríguez, Zurita and García2009). Nevertheless, new species continue to be described from this Archipelago with some frequency (Elix & Schumm Reference Elix and Schumm2003; van den Boom & Vězda Reference van den Boom and Vězda2005; Pérez-Vargas et al. Reference Pérez-Vargas, Hernández-Padrón and Elix2007, Reference Pérez-Vargas, Hernández Padrón, Etayo, Pérez de Paz and Elix2010a, b; Giralt & van den Boom Reference Giralt and van den Boom2009; Pérez-Vargas & Pérez de Paz Reference Pérez-Vargas and Pérez de Paz2009), confirming that the lichen biota in this region, with its many ecosystems, is still incompletely known. In the present work, we describe a new species of Diploschistes from the Canaries, more precisely from La Caldera de Taburiente National Park (La Palma Island).

Material and Methods

The morphology of the lichen specimens was examined using a Leica ZOOM 2000 or a Zeiss Stemi 2000C stereo-microscope. Sections for anatomical examination were cut by hand using a razor blade and were mounted and observed in water. Anatomical structure and hymenial characters were studied with an Olympus CH light microscope. Chemical constituents were identified by thin-layer chromatography using solvent systems A [benzene : dioxane : acetic acid, 180:45:5], B [hexane : methyl t–butyl ether : formic acid, 140:72:18] and C [toluene : acetic acid, 85:15] (Culberson Reference Culberson1972; Culberson et al. Reference Culberson, Culberson and Johnson1981; Culberson & Johnson Reference Culberson and Johnson1982; Elix & Ernst–Russell Reference Elix and Ernst-Russell1993), high performance liquid chromatography (Elix et al. Reference Elix and Schumm2003) and comparison with authentic samples. Specimens are deposited in the herbaria CANB and TFC.

The New Species

Diploschistes albopruinosus Pérez-Vargas, C. Hdez.-Padr. & Elix sp. nov

MycoBank No.: MB563093

Fungus saxicolus. Thallus crustaceus, uniformis, adnatus, continuus vel rimoso-farinosus, albidus vel griseo-albidus, pruinosus. Algae ad genus Trebouxia pertinentes. Apothecia inmersa, fusca, pruinosa, orbicularia, usque ad 0·5 mm in diametro, disco urceolato, punctiformi. Hymenium 140–170 µm altum, hyalinum. Hypothecium 15–20 µm altum, brunneum. Paraphyses 1–1·5 µm crassae, simplices, laxae. Asci cylindrici 110–130 × 18–23 µm, 4-spori. Ascosporae ellipsoideae, brunneae, muriformes, septis transversalibus 3–5, longitudinalibus 2–3, 25–38 (–45) × 12–18 µm. Pycnidia non visa. Thallus acidum lecanorinum, decarboxylecanorinum et diploschistesicum continens.

Typus: Spain, La Palma Island, La Caldera de Taburiente National Park, La Cumbrecita, UTM: 220810/ 317736, 1280 m alt., on rocks in Pinus canariensis C. Sm. ex DC. in Buch forest, April 2000, C. Hernández & P. L. Pérez 2770 (TFC Lich—holotypus; CANB—isotypus).

(Fig. 1)

Fig. 1. Diploschistes albopruinosus, part of the holotype. Scale = 1 mm. In colour online.

Table 1. Main differences between Diploschistes albopruinosus and related species

Thallus saxicolous, crustose, continuous to rimose, whitish grey, moderately thin, up to 0·4 mm thick. Upper surface shiny, with bright whitish pruina giving it a farinose appearance. Medulla white, amyloid (I+ blue). Photobiont trebouxioid with cells up to 12 µm diam. Prothallus not visible. Vegetative propagules absent.

Ascomata perithecioid, immersed. Disc urceolate, greyish pruinose, orbicular, 0·3–0·5 mm diam. Proper exciple dark brown, 60–90 µm thick. Hymenium hyaline, 140–170 µm high, not inspersed. Hypothecium yellowish brown, 15–20 µm thick. Paraphyses 1·5 µm thick, simple, apices not thickened. Asci cylindrical, 110–130 × 18–23 µm, predominantly 4-spored. Ascospores ellipsoid, brown, muriform, with 3–5 transverse and 2–3 longitudinal septa, 25–38 (–45) × 12–18 µm.

Pycnidia not seen.

Chemistry. K+ yellow, C+ and KC+ vivid red, PD−; containing diploschistesic, lecanoric and decarboxylecanoric acids.

Etymology. The specific epithet albopruinosus refers to the whitish pruina covering the thallus.

Habitat and distribution. At present D. albopruinosus is known only from La Palma Island, where it grows on exposed siliceous rocks in a Pinus canariensis forest, between 1100 and 2000 m in the mountains of La Caldera de Taburiente National Park.

Notes. This new species is characterized by its saxicolous habit, whitish pruina, urceolate apothecia, ascospore size, and the presence of diploschistesic, lecanoric and decarboxylecanoric acids. It superficially resembles the cosmopolitan D. gypsaceus (Ach.) Zahlbr. That species, however, occurs on calcareous substrata in shaded and damp habitats (Lumbsch Reference Lumbsch1988; Fletcher & Hawksworth Reference Fletcher, Hawksworth, Smith, Aptroot, Coppins, Fletcher, Gilbert, James and Wolseley2009). Also D. albopruinosus contains additional diploschistesic and decarboxylecanoric acids, substances not observed in D. gypsaceus which contains lecanoric acid as a major substance with orsellinic acid as an accessory. The presence of D. gypsaceus in the Canary Islands is very doubtful. Hernández-Padrón & Pérez-Vargas (Reference Hernández Padrón, Pérez-Vargas, Arechavaleta, Rodríguez, Zurita and García2009) included this species in the Checklist of the Lichen Biota of the Canary Islands from La Palma, Tenerife and Gran Canaria Island. However, a review of these records has shown that all are based on misidentification, or incorrect interpretations of alternative names given to this species. The most recent, and the only recorded, specimen of D. gypsaceus is by Tavares (Reference Tavares1952) but no information about locality, substratum or lichen characteristics was given. The record of D. gypsaceus in Hafellner (Reference Hafellner1995) is based on the paper by Tavares (op. cit.).

Other species of Diploschistes with whitish pruina include D. candidissimus (Kremp.) Zahlbr, D. diacapsis (Ach.) Lumbsch, D. hensseniae Lumbsch & Elix and D. ocellatus (Vill.) Norman (Table 1). Diploschistes diacapsis is a terricolous, calciferous species with 4–8 spored asci and with alternative chemistry (with additional orsellinic acid rather than decarboxylecanoric acid). Diploschistes candidissimus occurs on calciferous rocks in exposed habitats and has perithecioid ascomata. Diploschistes hensseniae is a terricolous species with perithecioid ascomata and smaller ascospores up to 22 µm long (Lumbsch & Elix Reference Lumbsch and Elix1985). Diploschistes ocellatus is easily distinguished from D. albopruinosus, and from all other species in this genus, by its large lecanoroid ascomata and the presence of the norstictic acid chemosyndrome (Martín et al. Reference Martín, LaGreca and Lumbsch2003).

Selected specimens examined. Canary Islands: La Palma: La Caldera de Taburiente National Park: “El Riachuelo”, UTM: 221302/317757, 1250 m alt., on rocks, xi 2001, C. Hernández & P. L. Pérez de Paz (TFC Lich: 5928, CANB); “Cauce del Barranco de Las Traves”, UTM: 217050/ 318059, 1100 m alt., on rocks, iv 2000, C. Hernández & P.L. Pérez de Paz (TFC Lich: 2711); “Proximidades a la Fuente Nueva”, UTM: 218993/ 318498, 2000 m alt., on rocks, C. Hernández & P. L. Pérez de Paz (TFC Lich: 7144, CANB).

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Figure 0

Fig. 1. Diploschistes albopruinosus, part of the holotype. Scale = 1 mm. In colour online.

Figure 1

Table 1. Main differences between Diploschistes albopruinosus and related species