Coniocarpon coralloideum Kalb & J.E. Hern., 2012

Kalb, Klaus, Buaruang, Kawinnat, Mongkolsuk, Pachara & Boonpragob, Kansri, 2012, New or otherwise interesting Lichens. VI, including a lichenicolous fungus, Phytotaxa 42, pp. 35-47 : 36

Coniocarpon coralloideum Kalb & J.E. Hern. sp. nov. ( Fig. 1A–B ) Mycobank MB 564175

Sicut Coniocarpon cinnabarinum DC. sed thallo isidiis coralloideis instructo et ascosporis minoribus differt.

Type:— VENEZUELA. Aragua: Parque Nacional Henry Pittier, 12 km along the road from Maracay to Ocumare de la Costa ; Estacion Biologica Dr. Alberto Fernandez Y. Along the „Andrew Field trail“, in an old tropical mountain rainforest (selva nublada), 1100–1200 m, 10°21’ N, 67°40’ W, 2 August 2010, K. Kalb & J. Hernández (holotype VEN, isotype hb. Kalb 38476) .

Etymology:—The specific epithet refers to the coralloid outgrowths on the thallus.

Thallus corticolous, delimited by a fluffy reddish-brown line, off-white or pale grey, surface smooth with purple-red coralloid outgrowths. Apothecia rare, 0.2–0.3 mm diam., flat to slightly concave, rounded, ± polygonal or linear, disc purple-brown, densely white pruinose, margins thick with a dark purple-red pruina, KOH+ purple, dissolving. Epihymenium brown, KOH-. Hymenium 70 µm high, hyaline; subhymenium 20 µ m. Asci clavate, 8-spored, 60 × 20 µ m. Ascospores 18–20 × 7–8 µ m, oblong-ovoid, colourless, old ascospores brownish. Chemistry: two unknown violet to red pigments with relative R f -values 11, 7, 6 (major) and 16, 3, 7 (minor) in solvents A, B’, C (Elix & Ernst-Russell 1993).

Notes:—The major pigment in Coniocarpon coralloideum is also present as a minor metabolite in Coniocarpon cinnabarinum sensu lato, the minor pigment as a trace amount together with other pigments. The following two specimens were tested by TLC: K. Kalb: Lichenes neotropici 201, distributed as Arthonia tumidula (Ach.) Ach. from Mexico / Chiapas (hb. Kalb s.n.) and Coniocarpon cinnabarinum from Austria / Styria (hb. Kalb 806). It should be noted that the two samples differ slightly in their chemistry insofar that the Mexican specimen contains four rather than three pigments observed in the Austrian material. The new species seems to be widely distributed in the Neotropics, but as it is usually sterile it has not been collected or remains unidentified in herbaria.

Additional material examined:— ECUADOR. Napo: Muyuna near Tena; in the garden of Establo de Tomas , at the base of an old deciduous tree, 550 m, 0°58’00’’ S, 77°51’30’’ W, 3–4 September 2011, K. Kalb & H. Jonitz (hb. Kalb 38962) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. A–B. Coniocarpon coralloideum (holotype), A. thallus with apothecia and coralloid outgrowths; Scale: 1 mm. B. Cross section through apothecium with asci and ascospores; Scale: 30 µm. C. Brigantiaea sorediata, thallus with apothecia and densely packed granules; Scale: 2 mm. D. Crustospathula khaoyaiana (holotype), thallus with apothecia and soralia; Scale: 1.5 mm. E–F. Cryptothecia napoensis (holotype), E. thallus with ascigerous parts; Scale: 0.5 mm. F. ascospores; Scale: 12 µm.