Chapsa niveocarpa Mangold in Mangold, Elix & Lumbsch, Flora of Australia, 57:654 (2009)

Dou *, Ming-Zhu, Li *, Min & Jia, Ze-Feng, 2021, New species and records of Chapsa (Graphidaceae) in China, MycoKeys 85, pp. 73-85 : 73

Chapsa niveocarpa Mangold in Mangold, Elix & Lumbsch, Flora of Australia, 57:654 (2009)

Figure 4

Description.

Thallus corticolous, crustose, pale grayish-green surface dull and fluctuating along the bark. Apothecia erumpent, solitary to fused, angular rounded to slightly elongate, 0.5-1.8 × 0.5-1.2 mm; thalline margin split and recurved, insidewith thick white pruina; disc exposed, yellowish-brown, covered by white pruina. Exciple laterally 12-75 μm wide, dark brown; epihymenium 10-20 μm high; hymenium 120-200 μm high, grey-brown, inspersed by granules, non-amyloid; hypothecium indistinct; paraphyses unbranched; tips distinctly thickened; periphysoides present, but obscured by granular inclusions. Asci 1-spored, clavate, 120-140 × 27-36 μm; ascospores densely muriform, with thick halo at both ends, oblong, hyaline, 115-135 × 25-34 μm, I-. Pycnidia not observed.

Chemistry.

Thallus K-, C-, PD-; no compounds detectable by TLC.

Ecology and distribution.

Growing on tree bark in tropical rainforests in altitudes ranging from 500 to 1100 m. Australia, Queensland ( Mangold 2008); newly reported for China.

Selected specimens examined.

China. Hainan Province: Wuzhishan City, Wuzhishan Nature Reserve , 18°54'13"N, 109°41'04"E, alt. 870 m, on bark, 12 Dec 2019, M. Li HN19508 (LCUF) (GenBank MW009076 for ITS and MW010272 for LSU) ; China. Hainan Province: Wuzhishan City, Wuzhishan Nature Reserve , 18°53'13"N, 109°41'04"E, alt. 1020 m, on bark, 12 Dec 2019, M. Li HN19530 (LCUF) ; China. Hainan Province: Wuzhishan City, Wuzhishan Nature Reserve , 18°54'13'N, 109°41'04'E, alt. 870 m, on bark, 12 Dec 2019, M. Li HN19499 (LCUF) ; China. Hainan Province: Lingshui County, Diaoluo Mountain , 18°43'35"N, 109°52'02"E, alt. 900 m, on bark, 14 Dec 2019, M. Li HN19687 (LCUF) ; China. Hainan Province: Lingshui County, Diaoluo Mountain , 18°43'35"N, 109°52'02"E, alt. 900 m, on bark, 14 Dec 2019, M. Li HN19679 (LCUF) .

Note.

Chapsa niveocarpa is characterised by its crustose, pale greyish-green thallus; rounded to elongate apothecia, yellowish-brown discs with white pruina, obscured periphysoids, inspersed hymenium, 1-spored(rare 2-spored)ascus and muriform and hyalineascospores with halo. Chapsa niveocarpa is morphologically similar and phylogenetically related to C. leprocarpa , and both species occur on bark in tropical forests ( Frisch 2006; Mangold 2008; Parnmen et al. 2012). Chapsa leprocarpa differs from C. niveocarpa in having a lower hymenium (100-130 μm) and smaller ascospores (up to 111 μm long) ( Frisch 2006). The specimen (HN19508) we collected in China is allocated phylogenetically to a strongly-supported (1/91) clade with C. niveocarpa . The collections cited above are the first reports for China.

Figures

Figure 4. Chapsa niveocarpa (LCUFHN 19508) A habit of thallus with apothecia B apothecium (part of pruina scraped off) C section of apothecium with periphysoids (direction of arrow) D paraphyses with hyaline granules E ascus F ascospore with halo. Scale bars: 1 mm (A); 0.5 mm (B); 50 μm (C); 25 μm (D); 30 μm (E); 25 μm (F).