Sticta arachnofuliginosa Moncada & Lücking, 2012

Moncada, Bibiana & Lücking, Robert, 2012, Ten new species of Sticta and counting: Colombia as a hot spot for unrecognized diversification in a conspicuous macrolichen genus, Phytotaxa 74 (1), pp. 1-29 : 4-6

Sticta arachnofuliginosa Moncada & Lücking , spec. nov. ( Fig. 1 )

MycoBank #801843

Differing from Sticta fuliginosa in the larger lobes with faveolate, pubescent-arachnoid surface and the lack of papillae on the cells of the basal membrane of the cyphellae.

Holotype: — COLOMBIA. Cundinamarca: Mun. Bogotá D. C., Surroundings of Laguna de Chisacá ; 4º 17' N, 74º 12' W; 3734 m; Apr 2008, Moncada et al. 4007 ( UDBC; isotypes: F, COL).

Primary photobiont cyanobacterial ( Nostoc ). Stipe absent. Thallus orbicular to irregular in outline, up to 15 cm diam., sparsely branched, with 0–2 branches per 5 cm radius, branching polytomous; lobes suborbicular, horizontal, imbricate, plane to revolute, with rounded, revolute apices, margins entire to crenate, not thickened; lobe internodes 25–50 mm long, 25–60 mm broad; thallus coriaceous. Upper surface faveolate, grey to olive-brown when fresh, brownish grey in the herbarium, matt; surface pubescent, without papillae, pruina, and maculae; marginal cilia absent. Apothecia not observed. Isidia present, abundant, principally laminal, subaggregate, simple to branched or becoming coralloid, vertically oriented, up to 0.2 mm long and 0.05 mm broad, darker than the thallus, brown to blackish brown, shiny, granular to cylindrical; basal stalk when present cylindrical, without cyphellae. Lower surface uneven, white to cream-colored; primary tomentum dense up to the margin, thin to thick, hirsute to fasciculate, soft, white to cream-colored; secondary tomentum pubescent, white to cream-colored. Rhizines absent. Cyphellae scattered, 1–20 per cm 2 towards the thallus center and 21–40 per cm 2 towards the margin, rounded to irregular or becoming angular, plane, immersed, margin remaining below the level of the primary tomentum, white to cream-colored, with tomentum; pore 1–5 mm diam.; basal membrane pubescent, white, K – to K + pale yellow, C –, KC–, P –. Medulla lax, white, K – to K + pale yellow, C –, KC– to KC+ pale yellow, P –. No substances detected by TLC.

Upper cortex paraplectenchymatous, 35–50 µm thick, uniform, consisting of 4–5 cell layers with cells 5–10 µ m diam., their walls 1.2–2.5 µm thick and their lumina rounded to isodiametric, 3–7 µm diam. Photobiont layer 35–60 µm thick, its cells 12–18 µm diam. Medulla 30–120 µm thick, its hyphae 2.5 µm broad, without crystals. Lower cortex paraplectenchymatous, 25–35 µm thick, with 2–3 cell layers; cells 4–10 µm diam., their walls 1.2–2.5 µm thick. Hairs of upper primary tomentum 130–160 µm long, in fascicles of up to six, branched hyphae with free, moniliform apices. Hairs of upper secondary tomentum 15–30 µm long, of single, branched, moniliform hyphae with free apices. Hairs of lower primary tomentum 350–480 µm long, in fascicles of 12–20, branched hyphae with free, moniliform apices. Hairs of lower secondary tomentum 20–50 µm long, of single, branched, moniliform hyphae with free apices. Cyphellae cavity 75–280 µm deep; cells of basal membrane without papillae.

Distribution and Ecology: —Central American Cordilleras and South American Andes, as well as southern Chile ( Guatemala to Chile). The species is found between 2300 and 4050 m altitude, in the páramo region and extending downwards into subandine and cool-temperate forests, usually in more or less exposed microsites. The Colombian records are from the Cordilleras Central and Occidental. The species grows mostly on bark but sometimes also on soil, usually associated with liverworts of the genera Metzgeria Raddi (1818) , Lepicolea Dumort. ( Dumortier 1835) and Plagiochila (Dumort.) Dumort. ( Dumortier 1835) , and the lichen Heterodermia circinalis (Zahlbr.) W. A. Weber ( Weber 1981) .

Etymology: —The epithet refers to the superficial similarity with Sticta fuliginosa (Dicks.) Ach. (Acharius 2003) and the presence of a tomentum on the upper lobe surface.

Remarks: —This is one of several species traditionally classified under the name Sticta fuliginosa (for an exact description of that species, see Suárez & Lücking 2012), sharing with the latter the broad, rounded, sparsely branched thallus lobes and laminal isidia, but differing in several morphological and anatomical details and being phylogenetically unrelated to S. fuliginosa s.str. ( Moncada et al. 2012a). Thus, S. arachnofuliginosa is larger and more robust that S. fuliginosa and immediately set apart by the faveolate, tomentose upper lobe surface; in addition, the cyphellae are much larger and often becoming angular in outline and their basal membrane lacks papillae on the cells. Of all species with a S. fuliginosa gross morphology in Colombia, S. arachnofuliginosa appears to the most common and widespread (Moncada 2012), being in fact found throughout Central and South America.

Additional specimens examined (paratypes): — GUATEMALA. Chimaltenango: Cerro de Tecpam ; 4 Dec 1938, Standley 58725 ( F, US).

COLOMBIA. Boyacá: Mun. Arcabuco, 15 km from Arcabuco via Tunja ; 2900 m; 11 Jul 1986, Sipman & Reyes 34392 ( B, COL) . Mun. El Cocuy, Parque Nacional Natural El Cocuy, Valle de las Lagunillas , Cabaña Sisuma ; 6º 26' N, 72º 22' E; 3800 m; 19 Apr 2011, Fonseca & Martínez 27, 28, 62, 63 ( UDBC) . Parque Nacional Natural El Cocuy, Alto de la Cueva ; 3800 m; 21 Apr 2011, Fonseca & Martínez 188a, 243 ( UDBC) . Mun. Villa de Leyva, SFF Iguaque, trail from ranger station vía Laguna de Iguaque ; 2805 m; 24 May 2000, Moncada & Dávila 785 ( UDBC) . Caldas: Mun. Aranzazú , Vereda El Diamante, Finca El Porvenir 5º 15' N, 75º 26' E, 2600 m; 2010, Coca 570 ( UDBC) . Mun. Santa Rosa de Cabal, Nevado del Ruíz , northwest slope, near hotel of hot springs; 3500 m; 4 Feb 1979, Sipman & Valencia 10528 ( COL, L) . Cauca: Mun. Puracé, Volcán Puracé, near Pilimbalá ; 3470 m; 5 Jan 1976, Cleef & Fernández-P. 493 ( COL, L) . Parque Nacional Natural Puracé, Pilimbalá, Laguna de San Rafael ; 3300 m; 6 Oct 1984, Aguirre & Sipman 5979 ( B, COL) . Termales de San Juan ; 3150 m; 14 Oct 1989, Cardona de Hollaender 992 ( CUVC) . Cundinamarca: Mun . Bogotá D. C., Parque Nacional Natural Sumapaz, Páramo de Chisacá , road from Usme to Nazareth , towards Laguna Grande. ; 3700 m; 4 Sep 1984, Aguirre & Sipman 5004 ( B, COL) . Páramo de Chisacá, road towards Laguna Larga; 3500 m; 15 Jul 1986, Cardona de Hollaender et al. 40b ( CUVC) . Surroundings of Laguna de Chisacá ; 4º 17' N, 74º 12' E, 3734 m; 8 Apr 2008, Beltrán et al. 51 ( UDBC) ; ibid.; Ardila & Gómez 208 ( UDBC) , Moncada et al. 4027, 4034, 4049, 4129b, 4130, 4132, 4134b, 4139, 4149, 4227 ( UDBC) . Mun. Choachí, El Verjón. PE Matarredonda ; 4º 33' N, 74º 00' E, 3220 m; 23 Jan 2011, Moncada 4607, 4618 ( UDBC) . Mun. Cogua, páramo between Cógua and San Cayetano, near Laguna Seca ; 3685 m; 9 Nov 1972, Cleef 6139 ( COL, L) . Mun. Fómeque, Parque Nacional Natural Chingaza, road from Playa to Chuza ; 3205 m; 1–4 Apr 1999, Dávila et al. 91 ( UDBC) . Parque Nacional Natural Chingaza, Río la Playa, Valle de los Frailejones ; 3145 m; 1–4 May 1999, Moncada & Dávila 245b, 278, 302, 309, 325b ( UDBC) . Mun. Guasca, Páramo de Guasca ; 3350 m; 18 Ago 2011, Moncada 4726 ( UDBC) ; ibid.; 3200 m; 18 Ago 2011, Lücking 33342, 33346 ( F, UDBC) . Mun. La Calera, Páramo de Palacio ; 3140 m; 22 Jul 1965, Merrill King et al. 482 ( US) . Zona de Amortiguación Parque Nacional Natural Chingaza, Vía del Ángulo towards Rincón del Oso ; 3600 m; 7 Nov 2011, Moncada 4904, 4927 ( UDBC) . Mun. Villapinzón, Páramo de Villapinzón ; 3300 m; 10 Sep 2002, Pinzón 1485 ( COL) . Huila: Mun. La Plata, Vereda La Candelaria , Rio La Candelaria waterfall; 2300 m; 16 Sep 1985, Aguirre & Sipman 6145 ( B, COL) . Norte de Santander: Mun. Toledo, Parque Nacional Natural Tamá , Sector El Paramito; 2800 m; 12 Sep 2000, Moncada & Dávila 1301 , 1317 ( UDBC) . Risaralda: Mun. Pereira, Parque Nacional Natural Los Nevados , Laguna de Otún , northwest border; 3795 m; 16 Jan 1980, Boekhout 40 ( COL) . Mun. Santa Rosa de Cabal, Costado Occidental, Cordillera Central , 500 m south of Finca La Sierra ; 3750 m; 1 Oct 1984, Aguirre & Sipman 5465 ( B, COL) . Tolima: Mun. Herveo, Parque Nacional Natural Los Nevados , Sector Brisas ; 4050 m; 1–2 Jul 2002, Dávila 2643 ( UDBC) .

VENEZUELA. Mérida: Sierra Nevada, Laguna Negra ; 3500–3600 m; 5 Apr 1975, Hale & Figueiras 44556 ( US).

ECUADOR. Carchi: Valle de Maldonado, Carretera Tulcán-Maldonado ; 3200 m; 18 May 1973, Nielsen et al. 5595c ( US).

CHILE. X. Región: Río Enco and roadside between Choshuenco and Enco; 39º 54' S, 72º 09' W, 400 m; Coppins et al. 8192 (BM). Parque Nacional Vicente Perez Rosales, Petrohue, Río Petrohue, near falls; 41º 08' S, 72º 27' W, 500 m; on rocks and in Nothofagus forest; 10 Dec 1986, Coppins et al. 8205 (BM). XI. Región: Laguna San Rafael; 46º 40' S, 74º 00' W; mature rainforest on hillside slopes above moraines of San Rafael Glacier; 28 Jan 1990, Galloway 9134 (BM). Laguna San Rafael National Park, vicinity of Puntilla del Cisne, around the hotel; 46º 38' S, 73º 51' W, 5–10 m; open scrubland with single Nothofagus and Embothrium , on dead scrub; 10 Nov 1997, Wedin 6052 (BM).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Sticta arachnofuliginosa (holotype collection). A. Upper lobe surface. B. Upper lobe surface enlarged. C. Lower surface enlarged. D. Isidia enlarged. E. Microscopic section of upper cortex and tomentum. Scale in A = 5 mm, in B = 0.7 mm, in C = 10 mm, in D = 1 mm, in E = 50 µm.