Biology:Cryptothecia rhizophora
| Cryptothecia rhizophora | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Arthoniomycetes |
| Order: | Arthoniales |
| Family: | Arthoniaceae |
| Genus: | Cryptothecia |
| Species: | C. rhizophora
|
| Binomial name | |
| Cryptothecia rhizophora Aptroot & M.Cáceres (2016)
| |
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| Holotype: Reserva extrativista Maracá, Brazil | |
Cryptothecia rhizophora is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) crustose lichen in the family Arthoniaceae.[1] This lichen was discovered growing on tree bark in the primary rainforest of Brazil's Amapá state, and described as a new species in 2016. It is distinctive in its genus for producing long, branching, root-like structures called rhizomorphs that extend outward from the main thallus.
Taxonomy
Cryptothecia rhizophora was described as new to science in 2016 by André Aptroot and Marcela da Silva Cáceres from material collected in northern Brazil (Amapá). The holotype was gathered on tree bark in primary tall forest at about 30 m elevation in the Maracá Extractive Reserve (municipality of Mazagão). The specific epithet refers to the species' abundant rhizomorphs.[2]
In their notes, the authors stressed two [[Glossary of lichen terms#{{biology:{1}}}|{{Biology:{1}}}]] that set it apart within Cryptothecia: the [[Glossary of lichen terms#{{biology:{1}}}|{{Biology:{1}}}]] (spore-producing) areas contain lichexanthone (rather than the whole thallus), and the species has distinct, partly pigmented [[Glossary of lichen terms#{{biology:{1}}}|{{Biology:{1}}}]]. Superficially similar rhizomorphs are otherwise only known in Syncesia rhizomorpha, which differs by having apothecia, transversely septate spores, different chemistry, and a brown [[Glossary of lichen terms#{{biology:{1}}}|{{Biology:{1}}}]].[2]
Description
The thallus is thin (about 0.1–0.2 mm), dull, uncorticate, and almost white, with long, branching, superficial rhizomorphs up to 0.2 mm wide that extend into the [[Glossary of lichen terms#{{biology:{1}}}|{{Biology:{1}}}]]. The prothallus is about 2 mm wide and flesh-colored, composed of branched, felty rhizomorphs. The [[Glossary of lichen terms#{{biology:{1}}}|{{Biology:{1}}}]] is [[Glossary of lichen terms#{{biology:{1}}}|{{Biology:{1}}}]], with cells about 5–9 μm. Ascigerous areas are rounded, white, and barely visible in daylight but become conspicuous under ultraviolet light; they measure about 0.5–0.9 mm in diameter and up to about 0.3 mm high, with brown asci visible only after the surface is scraped. Interascal tissue consists of much-branched, anastomosing hyphae. The asci are more or less spherical ([[Glossary of lichen terms#{{biology:{1}}}|{{Biology:{1}}}]]), measuring about 200 μm in diameter, and contain 1 to 4 spores (usually 4). Ascospores are hyaline, [[Glossary of lichen terms#{{biology:{1}}}|{{Biology:{1}}}]], curved, and irregularly [[Glossary of lichen terms#{{biology:{1}}}|{{Biology:{1}}}]] with partly oblique septa; the central [[Glossary of lichen terms#{{biology:{1}}}|{{Biology:{1}}}]] are about the same size as the outer and upper lumina. Spores measure 85–95 × 32–37 μm and are surrounded by a 2–5 μm gelatinous sheath. Pycnidia were not observed. In terms of spot test reactions, the thallus is UV−, C−, P−, K−; the ascigerous areas are UV+ (yellow); thin-layer chromatography detected lichexanthone.[2]
Habitat and distribution
The species grows on tree bark in primary tall forest within the eastern Amazon.[2] In addition to Amapá, it has been documented from the states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul.[3]
References
- ↑ "Cryptothecia rhizophora Aptroot & M. Cáceres". Species 2000: Leiden, the Netherlands. https://www.catalogueoflife.org/data/taxon/3234Z.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Cáceres, Marcela Eugenia da Silva; Aptroot, André (2016). "First inventory of lichens from the Brazilian Amazon in Amapá State". The Bryologist 119 (3): 250–265. doi:10.1639/0007-2745-119.3.250. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/307904602.
- ↑ Aptroot, André; da Silva Cáceres, Marcela Eugenia; dos Santos, Lidiane Alves; Benatti, Michel N.; Canêz, Luciana; Forno, Manuela Dal et al. (2025). "The Brazilian lichen checklist: 4,828 accepted taxa constitute a country-level world record". The Bryologist 128 (2): 96–423 [176]. doi:10.1639/0007-2745-128.2.96.
Wikidata ☰ Q27890489 entry
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