Neoprotoparmelia plurisporibadia Garima Singh, M. Caceres & Aptroot

Singh, Garima, ptroot, Andre, ico, Victor J., tte, Juergen, Pradeep K. Divakar,, Crespo, Ana, Caceres, Marcela Eugenia da Silva, H. Thorsten Lumbsch, & Schmitt, Imke, 2018, Neoprotoparmelia gen. nov. and Maronina (Lecanorales, Protoparmelioideae): species description and generic delimitation using DNA barcodes and phenotypical characters, MycoKeys 44, pp. 19-50 : 19

Neoprotoparmelia plurisporibadia Garima Singh, M. Caceres & Aptroot sp. nov. Figure 12

Type.

BRAZIL. Rio Grande do Sul, Viamão, near Parque Itapua, 30°05'S, 51°00'W, on granite, ca. 100 m alt.; 26 September 2014, M. Cáceres & A. Aptroot 22130 (holotype: ABL; isotype: ISE).

Diagnosis.

Differing from the morphologically similar Protoparmelia badia (Ach.) M. Choisy by the presence of multispored asci and different chemistry and distribution.

Etymology.

Named after pluri = many, spores and badia = dark brown.

Description.

Thallus consisting of areoles with wavy border of up to ca. 1.3 mm thick and 2.0 mm wide (but mostly much smaller) that are tightly packed together and occasionally become almost lobe-like, somewhat shiny, pale brown to dark brown, marginal prothallus black, thin or absent. Isidia absent. Apothecia immersed in areoles to erumpent, usually up to one per areole, initially round, later usually compressed and with wavy elongated shape, 0.4-1.3 mm diam., disc concave to flat, smooth, glossy, dark brown. Margin dull, ca. 0.3 mm wide, indistinguishable from the thallus, not or only slightly higher than the disc. Hymenium hyaline, not inspersed with oil droplets, up to 100 μm high; epihymenium fuscous brown, pigment in KOH becoming soluble and paler; hypothecium hyaline, not distinguishable from the thallus medulla and thus extending to over 1 mm; excipulum hyaline throughout, with a 10-15 μm thick layer of pseudocortex without crystals, with algae, not extending below the hypothecium. Paraphyses simple to somewhat branched, ca. 2.5 μm wide, not thickened at the tips. Asci cylindrico-clavate, blue, up to 95 × 15 μm, with ca. 50 ascospores. Ascospores hyaline, simple or occasionally with a pseudoseptum, narrowly ellipsoid, not constricted, 7.0-8.0 × 2.5-3.5 μm, wall ca. 0.5 μm thick, without appendages. Pycnidia abundant, immersed, dark brown; surrounding areole usually slightly raised. Conidia hyaline, linear to slightly clavate, 5-7.5 × 0.9-1.1 μm.

Chemistry.

Spot tests: medulla of thallus UV+ greenish-white, C–, P–, K–, KC+ pink. TLC: alectoronic acid.

Distribution and ecology.

On granite in open low mountain area. Known only from Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul).

Reference sequences.

M. Cáceres & A. Aptroot 22130, MK046748.

Remarks.

Somewhat similar to Protoparmelia badia , from which it differs markedly by the multispored ascus and production of alectoronic acid instead of lobaric acid, as occurs in P. badia . It can also be distinguished from the other two saxicolous Neoprotoparmelia species, N. pauli , and N. capensis , by distribution and by the presence of approximately 50-spored asci in contrast to the 8-spored asci present in the latter.