Ramalina vareschii V. Marcano & A. Morales, 1994

Marcano, Vicente, Méndez, Antonio Morales & Prü, Ernesto Palacios, 2021, The genus Ramalina Acharius (Ascomycota, Lecanoromycetes, Ramalinaceae) in northern South America, Phytotaxa 504 (1), pp. 1-77 : 66

5. Ramalina vareschii V. Marcano & A. Morales

Tropical Bryology 9: 197 (1994) . Type:― VENEZUELA. Mérida: Las Playitas, near Bailadores , 2300 m, 14 April 1992, V. Marcano 4503 (holotype MERF!, isotype VEN!) .

Thallus corticolous, fruticose, ascendant, up to 2 cm height, yellow ochre, subshiny. Branches entere, solid in the base, subfistulose in the apices, flattened or terete, surface nodulose, 0.5–0.9 mm wide. Soralia terminal, helmet-shaped or clavate. Pseudocyphellae laminal (175–250 μm long), lateral (625–650 μm long), elliptic, punctiform or tuberculate, sorediate. Chondroid tissue discontinuous. Medulla white, loose. Pycnidia and apothecia not seen.

Chemistry (TLC, HPTLC): Strain 1. Homosekikaic, sekikaic and ramalinolic acids. Strain 2. Homosekikaic, sekikaic and protocetraric acids (Morales 134). Strain 3. Homosekikaic, sekikaic, 4ˊ– O –demethylsekikaic, boninic, 2ˊ– O –methylsekikaic and protocetraric acids (Sipman et al. 34114). Strain 4. Homosekikaic, sekikaic, 4ˊ– O –demethylsekikaic, boninic, 2ˊ– O –methylsekikaic and protocetraric acids (Sipman & Reyes 34454). Strain 5. Homosekikaic, sekikaic, boninic and protocetraric acids (Sipman &Aguirre 27676). Strain 6. Salazinic and consalazinic acids (Aguirre & Sipman 5344).

Ecology and distribution: This corticolous species occurs on exposed places in disturbed and rainforests associated with R. celastri , Parmotrema spp. , Pyrrhospora cinnabarina Somm. and Graphis sp. In Colombia it occurs on Fraxinus sp. in pastures and in dry, eroded mountain slope with scarce scrub at 1250–3000 m. It is known only from northern South America ( Colombia and Venezuela).

Remarks: Ramalina vareschii is a common species known from the Colombian and Venezuelan Andes. Ramalina vareschii closely resembles R. escorialensis and R. cochlearis , and R. xalapensis from Mexico, but these species lack tuberculate pseudocyphellae. The morphological and chemical characters of these species are described in detail by Marcano & Morales (1994c). Ramalina vareschii shows six chemical distinct strains with sekikaic acid and its aggregates and protocetraric acid as major substances (apart from strain 6, which contains salazinic and consalazinic acids as major substances). It closely resembles R. darwiniana Aptroot & Bungartz (2007: 528) , which has salazinic acid, rounded, irregular warts from which punctiform or sublinear pseudocyphellae develop, and it is known only from Galápagos Islands ( Aptroot & Bungartz 2007). However, R. darwiniana can be distinguished by the presence of pycnidia and apothecia, and by the absence of soralia.

Additional specimens examined: COLOMBIA: Tolima: E-slopes of Cordillera Central, 10 km E of Mariquita, near Hacienda El Bombon , 1250 m, 13 September 1984, J . Aguirre & H . Sipman 5244 ( B, COL) . Santander: Municipio Charala, corregimiento Virolin, Cañaverales along road to Duitama , 2300 m, 26 October 1988, H . Sipman & J . Aguirre 27676 ( B) . Antioquia: Municipio El Retiro, along road Medellín – La Ceja, between Las Palmas and El Retiro, Hacienda Fizebad , entrance of reconstructed farm, 2050 m, 6 J 1986 , H . Sipman, M . Escobar & J . Rubiano 34114 ( B) . Boyaca: Municipio Cucaita, c. 10 km W of Tunja along road to Villa de Leiva , 2950 m, 12 July 1986, H . Sipman & O . Reyes 34454 ( B) . VENEZUELA. Táchira: Pregonero, proximidad a La Grita , 1750–1800 m, 21– Abril 1993, V . Marcano 4504 ( MERF, VEN) . Mérida: Las Playitas, proximidad a Bailadores , 2300 m, 14– Abril 1992, V . Marcano 4501, 4502 ( MERF); Paramo de Los Granates, Finca Los Granates, 3000 m, 20– Febrero 1985, López-Figueiras et D. Griffin III 31731 ( MERF); near Chiguará , Los Topes, A . Morales 134 ( MERF) .