Ramalina victoriana V. Marcano & L. Castillo, 2021

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 : 68-71

5. Ramalina victoriana V. Marcano & L. Castillo sp. nov.; Mycobank #838611 (Fig. 41)

Thallus corticolus, erectus. Laciniae intricate ramulosae, canaliculatae, pseudocyphelliis linearibus instructis. Isidia et soralia lateralia vel laminalia. Pycnidia non visa. Apothecia subterminalia vel terminalia et lateralia. Sporae ellipsoideae. Acidum usnicum continens.

Type:― VENEZUELA. Mérida: Sierra Nevada de Merida, Raiz de Agua, near Paramo La Victoria , 2650 m, 28 July 2020, V. Marcano & L. Castillo 20–94 (holotype MER, isotype herb. V. Marcano) .

Thallus corticolous, erect, up to 8 cm long, tufted, originated from a holdfast, densely dichotomously branched. Branches closely canaliculate, smooth, pale yellow, sorediate. Pseudocyphellae continuous, marginal or laminal, linear, sorediate. Isidial structures cylindrical, originating from soralia. Cortex paraplectenchymatous, peripheral chondroid tissue forming continuous layers, medulla dense. Pycnidia not seen. Apothecia abundant, lateral, subterminal or terminal; disc concave to plane, up to 2.5 mm diameter. Ascospores 1–septate, long-ellipsoid, straight, 12.5–15 x x 4–5 µm.

Chemistry ( TLC, HPTLC): Usnic acid only ( V. Marcano & L. Castillo 20–94).

Ecology and distribution: Ramalina victoriana is known only from the type locality where it was collected as an epiphyte in a cloud forest at 2500–2600 m (Fig. 30).

Remarks: Ramalina victoriana is very similar to R. camptospora and R. cumanensis . It differs from R. camptospora in having closely canaliculate branches, cylindrical isidial structures and straight spores. Ramalina camptospora has flat branches, which are rectangular in cross section, marginal isidial protuberances and strongly curved or curved ascospores ( Kashiwadani & Kalb, 1993), whereas R. cumanensis has marginal pseudocyphellae, shorter ellipsoid spores and lacks soredia. All three species lack medullary compounds. Ramalina victoriana could be confused with R. canaguensis but the latter can be distinguished by the dense, coralliform isidial structures on branchlets and the curved, multiseptate, shorter ascospores (10–11 x 5–6 µm). Interestingly, Usnea sp. lives lichenicolous on R. victoriana (V. Marcano & L. Castillo 20–94).

The name of the species refers to the type locality.

Additional specimens examined: VENEZUELA. Mérida: Sierra Nevada de Merida, Raiz de Agua, near Paramo La Victoria , 2750 m, 15 January 2021, V. Marcano & L. Castillo 21–65 (holotype MER, isotype herb. private V. Marcano) .

EXCLUDED SPECIES

1) Ramalina alludens Nylander

This species was reported by Vareschi (1973) from Silla de Caracas, Venezuela, but we were unable to examine this material as it could not be located in VEN.

2) Ramalina calicaris (Linnaeous) Fries

This epithet has been applied to specimens of R. cumanensis from Colombia. Ramalina calicaris is a polymorphic species known primarily from western European ( Krog & James 1977).

3) Ramalina complanata var. hypodectodes Nylander

This species was reported by Vareschi (1973) from Barquisimeto, Lara state, Venezuela, growing on Cereus sp. The material cited by him was not found among their collections deposited in VEN, However, we expect that it concerns a misidentified sample of R. aspera .

4) Ramalina ecklonii (Sprengel) Meyen & Flotow

The examined specimens of this species deposited in VEN, so identified by Vareschi, belong to R. celastri .

5) Ramalina flagellifera Vainio

This species was reported by Vareschi (1973) from Los Guayabitos, Venezuela. We cannot confirm the presence of this species in Venezuela because the pertinent specimen was not found among their collections deposited in VEN.

6) Ramalina foveolaris (Müller Argoviensis) Vainio

The specimen collected by Dennis 1538 (VEN) and cited as R. foveolaris by Vareschi (1973) belongs to R. dendriscoides .

7) Ramalina inanis Montagne (= Cenozosia inanis (Montagne) A. Massalongo )

The specimen Vareschi 2835 (VEN), which is cited by Vareschi (1973) as R. inanis , is actually R. complanata .

8) Ramalina leptosperma Nylander

The specimen collected by Mägdefrau (Mägdefrau 673, VEN) and cited by Vareschi (1973) as R. leptosperma , is actually R. dendriscoides .

9) Ramalina pollinaria (Westring) Acharius

Ramalina pollinaria was reported by Vareschi from a specimen collected by Pittier 9283 (VEN). It is known from northern Europe ( Krog & James 1977), North America ( Brodo et al. 2001) and East Africa ( Krog & Swinscow 1976).

10) Ramalina polymorpha (Acharius) Acharius

This species was cited by Alexander von Humboldt (1816 –1831) as Lichen polymorphus Acharius from Amazonas but probably refers to an an Usnea species in view of the absence of Ramalina in that biogeographic area. Ramalina polymorpha is widely distributed in the British Isles, extending northwards to the Arctic Ocean ( Krog & James 1977). Krog & Swinscow (1976) also reported this species from East Africa.

11) Ramalina protensa (Nylander) Zahlbruckner

Vareschi (1973) cited this species based on his collection nos. 535–a, b from Los Guayabitos, Miranda State. These samples appeared are actually R. cumanensis (Vareschi 535–a) and R. canaguensis var. canaguensis (Vareschi 535– b).

12) Ramalina sorediantha Nylander

Vareschi (1973) cited this species on the basis of his collection no. 3449 (VEN) from Medanos de Coro, Falcón State, but this specimen belongs to R. subpollinaria . The specimens Vareschi 6205 and Dennis 1513–B were also cited by Vareschi under R. sorediantha . These specimens have now been reidentified as R. dendriscoides .

13) Ramalina subcalicaris (Nylander) Zahlbruckner

This species was reported by Vareschi (1973) from Los Guayabitos, Venezuela. The material cited by him was not found among their collections deposited in VEN. It is probable that it is actually R. cumanensis .

14) Ramalina tuberculosa Taylor

Vareschi (1973) cited R. tuberculosa based on his collection 3388 (VEN) from Los Guayabitos, Miranda State. This sample was examined by us, and we redetermined it as R. rectangularis .

15) Ramalina usnea (L.) Howe var. contorta Flotow

This taxon was reported by Vareschi (1973) from Chichiriviche, Falcón state, Venezuela. The material cited by him was not found among their collections deposited in VEN, so that we cannot confirm the record .

16) Ramalina usnea var. tenuis (Nylander) Zahlbruckner

This variety was reported by Vareschi (1973) from Bolívar State, Venezuela. The material was not found among their collections deposited in VEN, so we cannot confirm the record .

17) Ramalina usnea var. usnoidella Nylander

The specimen collected by Mägdefrau (Mägdefrau 674, VEN) and cited by Vareschi (1973) was redetermined as R. bogotensis .

18) Ramalina usneoides (Acharius) Montagne ex Gaudichaud

This epithet is now considered a synonym of R. usnea but was cited by Vareschi (1973) (Mägdefrau 675, VEN).