Ramalina

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 : 24-26

Key to Ramalina in Venezuela and Colombia

1 Thallus fistulose ............................................................................................................................................................................. (2) Thallus solid .................................................................................................................................................................................. (4)

2 (1) Spores short ellipsoid, 8–12 x 3–4 µm; apothecia reddish brown; substances mostly in the protocetraric acid complex; Venezuela.................................................................................................................................................................................... R. subcalcarata Spores long ellipsoid or fusiform, 12–17 x 5–7 µm; substances mostly depsides; East Africa and South America ( Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela)................................................................................................................................................................................ (3)

3 (2) Divaricatic acid present; apothecia yellowish brown; ascospores ellipsoid, 12–15 x 5–7 µm; ..................................... R. calcarata Sekikaic acid and its aggregates present; apothecia pale or reddish brown; ascospores ellipsoid-fusiform, 15–17 x 5–7 µm ........... ............................................................................................................................................................................................. R. pusiola

4 (1) Thallus reticulate; branches finely to widely perforated; northern South America (paramos from Colombia and Venezuela)........... ............................................................................................................................................................................................ R. dictyota Thallus not reticulate; branches not perforated ............................................................................................................................... (5)

5 (4) Pycnidia apparent ............................................................................................................................................................................ (6) Pycnidia not apparent ...................................................................................................................................................................... (7)

6 (5) Pycnidia apical, blackened; thallus with simple laciniae, corticolous, mostly terete toward base, more or les flattened above, surface foveolate, undulate; soralia absent; apothecial disc convex; Venezuela (paramos).................................................. R. lopezii Pycnidia marginal or laminal, honey-colored with ostioles pale; thallus branched, saxicolous; soralia subapical to apical; Venezuela (dry forest) .................................................................................................................................................................... R. microphylla

7 (5) Lower cortex absent at best in part; branches compact, flattened, palmate, surface rugose; cartilaginous tissue from medulla forms a reticular structure.......................................................................................................................................................................... (8) Lower cortex present ....................................................................................................................................................................... (9)

8 (7) Psoromic and 2ˊ–O–demethylpsoromic acids present; Australia, East Africa and South America ................ R. reducta var. reducta Norstictic acid present; Colombia (paramos)........................................................................................... R. reducta var. colombiana

9 (7) Thallus sorediate or having isidial structures ................................................................................................................................ (10) Thallus not sorediate and lacking isidial structures....................................................................................................................... (35)

10 (9) Isidial structures common on branchlets ....................................................................................................................................... (11) Isidial structures absent ................................................................................................................................................................. (18)

11 (10) Isidial structures coralliform, laminal or marginal, ellipsoid; ascospores 1–3 septate, sigmoid to ellipsoid, 10–11 x 5–6 µm.... (12) Isidial structures not coralliform; ascospores 1–septate................................................................................................................ (15)

12 (11) Depsides and/or depsidones present.............................................................................................................................................. (13) No medullary substances present; northern South America ( Colombia and Venezuela) ................. R. canaguensis var. canaguensis

13 (12) Divaricatic and protocetraric acids present; Colombia (paramo)...................................................... R. canaguensis var. colombiana Divaricatic and protocetraric acids absent..................................................................................................................................... (14)

14 (13) Hypoprotocetraric acid and triterpenoids present; Venezuela (paramo) ..................................... R. canaguensis var. mucumpisensis Salazinic and stictic acids present; Colombia (paramo).................................................................. R. canaguensis var. guascasensis

15 (11) Isidial structures verruciform; salazinic acid present; thallus up to 15 cm long, South America ( Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela)....... .................................................................................................................................................................................... R. rectangularis Isidial structures not verruciform; thallus up to 10 cm long ......................................................................................................... (16)

16 (15) Isidial structures globuliform ...; ascospores 1–septate, curved or sigmoid, 12–14 x 5–6 µm; no medullary substances present: the Caribbean, Central America and South America....................................................................................................... R. camptospora Isidial structures granular or cylindrical, raised on tubercles or plane; branches sorediate.......................................................... (17)

17 (16) Isidial structures cylindrical, laminal; branches canaliculated; ascospores 1–septate, ellipsoid, straight, 12–15 x 4–5 µm; .............. ........................................................................................................................................................................................ R. victoriana Isidial structures granular or cylindrical, sometimes absent, raised on tubercles or plane; branches flat; apothecia not seen; protocetraric acid complex, salazinic, sekikaic or boninic acids present .......................................................................... R. asahinae

18 (10) Soralia helmet-shaped ................................................................................................................................................................... (19) Soralia variable, not helmet-shaped .............................................................................................................................................. (21)

19 (18) Sekikaic acid and its aggregates present; chondroidal tissue continuous...................................................................................... (20) Chondroidal tissue discontinuous; with very short, numerous, divergent branchlets; cryptochlorophaeic acid present; Venezuela (paramo) ..................................................................................................................................................................... R. escorialensis

20 (19) Pseudocyphellae not tuberculate; surface smooth; the Caribbean, Central America and South America ( Colombia, Venezuela, Perú and Brazil) ....................................................................................................................................................................... R. cochlearis Pseudocyphellae tuberculate; surface nodulose; northern South America ( Colombia and Venezuela) ............................ R. vareschii

21 (18) Branches not contorted or filiform ................................................................................................................................................ (22) Branches contorted or filiform ...................................................................................................................................................... (33)

22 (21) Branches strictly flattened............................................................................................................................................................. (23) Branches not strictly flattened ....................................................................................................................................................... (25)

23 (22) Salazinic acid present; pseudocyphellae raised on small tubercles............................................................................................... (24) Sekikaic, homosekikaic or divaricatic acids present; pseudocyphellae flattened; northern South America ( Colombia and Venezuela) ................................................................................................................................................................... R. chiguarensis