Heterodermia upretii Y. Joshi, S. Upadhyay & K. Chandra, 2014

Joshi, Yogesh, Upadhyay, Shashi & Chandra, Krishna, 2014, Heterodermia upretii, a new species from India (Physciaceae, Ascomycota), Phytotaxa 175 (2), pp. 117-120 : 117-119

Heterodermia upretii Y. Joshi, S. Upadhyay & K. Chandra , sp. nov. ( Fig. 1a )

MycoBank no.: MB 809253

Differs from Heterodermia albidiflava in having a P+ yellow medulla, smaller apothecia and different chemistry.

Type: — INDIA. Uttarakhand: Pithoragarh district, Kanalichina , alt. 1700 m, 01 June 2014, Shashi Upadhyay 510 (holotype ALM!, isotype LWG!) .

Thallus foliose, orbicular to irregularly spreading, 20–40 mm wide. Lobes 0.4–1.0 mm wide, contiguous, closely to loosely adnate, sublinear to elongate, rotund to ±truncate, irregularly to ±dichotomously branched, apices not ascending, with ±marginal lobules, lobe tips ±pruinose. Lobe margins ±dissected and appearing sorediate. Upper surface grayish white, plane to concave towards periphery, dull to glossy. Medulla well developed, yellowish-orange to intermittently white. Lower surface corticated, white to brown. Rhizines sparse, irregularly to squarrosely branched, marginal or extending beyond the lobe margins, concolorous with the thallus and darkening at the apices. Apothecia numerous, clumped, lecanorine, laminal, rounded to distorted, sessile, 0.1–2.0 mm wide; margin entire, crenulate to lobulate, distinct and persistent; disc pale to dark brown, concave, pruinose. Epihymenium brown. Hymenium colorless. Hypothecium pale yellowish. Paraphyses branched, apical cells brown. Asci cylindrical to subclavate, Lecanora- type, 8–spored. Ascospores Polyblastidium - type (with 1 sporoblastidium) ( Fig. 1b ), brown to gray-brown, ellipsoidal, 1–septate, ±constricted at the septum, thick walled, (27.6–)28.8–30.5–32.2(–33.0) × (12.2–)12.8–14.5– 16.0(–16.5) µm [n=10]. Pycnidia common, immersed to slightly emergent, visible as black to ± brown dots. Conidia bacilliform, 2.0–3.0 × 1.0 µm.

Chemistry:— Cortex K+ yellow, C–, P–; medulla K+ red, C–, P+ red, UV –. TLC: atranorin, teloschistin, cyathomorpha unknown, 7-chloroemodin, unidentified spots at Rf values 18, 21, 26, and 56, and several unknown terpenoids.

Etymology:— The species is named in honor of Dr. D.K. Upreti for his enormous contribution to Indian lichenology and for teaching one of the authors (YJ) lichenology.

Distribution and Ecology:— The species is so far known from the Banasur Fort and the Dhwaj and Deyrani forests in the Kumaun Himalaya. It occurs on rocks, twigs and bark of deciduous trees at elevations between 1700 and 2500 m. The new species is associated with Bulbothrix setschwanensis (Zahlbr.) Hale (1974b: 481) , Caloplaca flavorubescens (Huds.) J.R. Laundon (1976: 147) , Heterodermia diademata (Taylor) D.D. Awasthi (1973: 113) , Leptogium askotense D.D. Awasthi (1977: 63) , Lobaria retigera (Bory) Trevis. (1869: 75) , Parmotrema reticulatum (Taylor) M. Choisy (1952: 175) , P. tinctorum (Despr. ex Nyl.) Hale (1974a: 339) , Phaeophyscia hispidula (Ach.) Essl. (1978: 305) , Punctelia rudecta (Ach.) Krog (1982: 291) , and Xanthoparmelia mexicana (Gyeln.) Hale (1974b: 488) .

Remarks: —The new species is characterized by having a gray thallus, corticated lower surface, yellowish-orange to intermittently white medulla, and sessile apothecia with Polyblastidium - type ascospores having sporoblastidia. Heterodermia albidiflava is similar but readily distinguished by having a P+ yellow medulla, smaller apothecia (25–33 × 12–13 mm) and different chemistry (zeorin and several unknown substances). Other Heterodermia spp. with a corticated lower surface and yellow medulla, include H. firmula (Nyl.) Trevis. (1868: 615) , H. himalayana Y. Joshi, K. Chandra & M. Tripathi (2014: 50) , and H. rugulosa (Kurok.) Trass (1992: 19) , but those differ in chemistry. Heterodermia firmula has only atranorin and zeorin, H. rugulosa contains leucotylin in addition to atranorin and zeorin, while H. himalayana contains 16ss-acetoxyhopane-6α, 22-diol, 6α-acetoxyhopane16ss,22-diol, dissectic acid and 7-chloroemodin besides atranorin and zeorin.

Other corticated species, such as H. andina R. Moberg (2011: 132) , H. coralloidea Elix (2011: 12) , H. granulifera (Ach.) W.L. Culb. (1966: 482) , H. isidiophorella Elix (2011: 13) , H. koyanoides Elix (2011: 14) , H. lepidota Swinscow & Krog (1976: 122) , H. pseudospeciosa (Kurok.) W.L. Culb. (1966: 484) , H. speciosa (Wulfen) Trevis. (1868: 614) and H. tremulans (Müll. Arg.) W.L. Culb. (1967: 485) can easily be distinguished by the presence of vegetative propagules such as phyllidia, isidia or soredia, which are not found in the new species.

Heterodermia flavosquamosa , a species showing a P+ red reaction of the medulla differs in having a yellowish gray thallus with ecorticated lower surface, C+ red medulla, and different chemistry (atranorin, an unidentified anthraquinone, zeorin and several unknown terpenoids).

Specimens examined:— INDIA. Uttarakhand: Champawat distr., Banasur Fort , 29˚24’N, 80˚05’E, alt. 1817 m, 15 December 2013, Krishna Chandra 259 ( ALM) ; Pithoragarh distr. , Kanalichina Block, Kanalichina , Dhwaj forest , 29˚40’N, 80˚17’E, alt. 1865 m, 15 March 2014, Shashi Upadhyay 505 ( ALM) ; 29˚39’N, 80˚17’E, alt. 1900 m, 12 March 2014, Shashi Upadhyay 506 ( ALM) ; alt. 1920-2005, 13 March 2014, Shashi Upadhyay 508 ( ALM) ; Deyrani forest , alt. 1600 m, 14 March 2014, Shashi Upadhyay 507 ( ALM) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Habit of Heterodermia upretii (holotype) a) Thallus (Scale = 10 mm); b) Polyblastidium-type ascospore (Scale = 12 µm).