Biology:Chapsa inconspicua
| Chapsa inconspicua | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Graphidales |
| Family: | Graphidaceae |
| Genus: | Chapsa |
| Species: | C. inconspicua
|
| Binomial name | |
| Chapsa inconspicua Lücking, B.Moncada & Álvaro (2023)
| |
Chapsa inconspicua is a species of crustose lichen-forming fungus in the family Graphidaceae.[1] It is a whitish, bark-dwelling lichen with distinctive flesh-coloured fruiting bodies surrounded by small, triangular lobes of thallus tissue. The species was described in 2023 from the Colombian Amazon, where it was found in secondary vegetation near Araracuara.
Taxonomy
Chapsa inconspicua was described as a new species in 2023 by Robert Lücking, Bibiana Moncada, and Wilson Ricardo Álvaro-Alba from material collected in Colombia (Araracuara, Caquetá Department). The original description compared it with Chapsa angustispora, from which it was separated by differences in thallus texture and ascospore size.[2]
Description
The lichen forms a crust-like body (thallus) on bark, up to 5 cm (2 in) across and about 20–30 μm thick. The surface is whitish and smooth to uneven; no visible border zone ([[Glossary of lichen terms#{{biology:{1}}}|{{Biology:{1}}}]]) was observed. In cross-section, the thallus lacks an outer skin ([[Glossary of lichen terms#{{biology:{1}}}|{{Biology:{1}}}]]) and has a scattered [[Glossary of lichen terms#{{biology:{1}}}|{{Biology:{1}}}]] embedded within the bark tissue (periderm). The algal partner ([[Glossary of lichen terms#{{biology:{1}}}|{{Biology:{1}}}]]) is from the green algal genus Trentepohlia.[2]
The fruiting bodies (ascomata) partly protrude from the thallus ([[Glossary of lichen terms#{{biology:{1}}}|{{Biology:{1}}}]]) and are of the [[Glossary of lichen terms#{{biology:{1}}}|{{Biology:{1}}}]] type (with a broad, exposed disc surrounded by lobed thallus tissue), about 0.5–1 mm long and 0.15–0.2 mm high. The [[Glossary of lichen terms#{{biology:{1}}}|{{Biology:{1}}}]] is exposed and flesh-colored, with a thin white frosting ([[Glossary of lichen terms#{{biology:{1}}}|{{Biology:{1}}}]]). The inner fungal rim ([[Glossary of lichen terms#{{biology:{1}}}|{{Biology:{1}}}]]) is indistinct, while the outer thallus-derived rim ([[Glossary of lichen terms#{{biology:{1}}}|{{Biology:{1}}}]]) curves outward and is divided into 4–7 triangular to irregular lobelets ([[Glossary of lichen terms#{{biology:{1}}}|{{Biology:{1}}}]]).[2]
Habitat and distribution
The species is known from the type locality in Colombia, in Caquetá Department (Araracuara area), where it was collected at about 300 m (980 ft) elevation in secondary vegetation and gardens, growing on the bark of a small tree.[2]
References
- ↑ "Chapsa inconspicua Lücking, B. Moncada & Álvaro". Species 2000: Leiden, the Netherlands. https://www.catalogueoflife.org/data/taxon/CCJN7.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Lücking, Robert; Álvaro-Alba, Wilson Ricardo; Moncada, Bibiana; Marín-Canchala, Norida Lucia; Tunjano, Sonia Sua; Cárdenas-López, Dairon (2023). "Lichens from the Colombian Amazon: 666 taxa including 28 new species and 157 new country records document an extraordinary diversity". The Bryologist 126 (2): 242–303. doi:10.1639/0007-2745-126.2.242.
Wikidata ☰ Q138568602 entry
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