Biology:Phyllopsora himalayensis

Short description: Species of lichen-forming fungus

Phyllopsora himalayensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Ascomycota
Class:	Lecanoromycetes
Order:	Lecanorales
Family:	Ramalinaceae
Genus:	Phyllopsora
Species:	P. himalayensis
Binomial name
Phyllopsora himalayensis G.K.Mishra, Upreti & Nayaka (2011)

Phyllopsora himalayensis is a species of bark-dwelling lichen in the family Ramalinaceae. It was described as a new species in 2011 by Gaurav Kumar Mishra, Dalip Kumar Upreti, and Sanjeeva Nayaka. It occurs in temperate parts of the Himalayas in northern India (recorded from Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand), where it grows on the bark of rough-barked trees in moist, humid forest at about 1,500–3,140 m elevation. The species epithet refers to the Himalayas, the type locality.

The thallus is squamulose (made of small, scale-like [[Glossary of lichen terms#{{biology:{1}}}|{{Biology:{1}}}]]) with a thin white [[Glossary of lichen terms#{{biology:{1}}}|{{Biology:{1}}}]]. The squamules are closely attached, rounded to elongate, sometimes overlapping, and about 0.1–0.5 mm wide, with a smooth pale green to yellow upper surface. It produces mostly globular isidia (minute outgrowths used in vegetative spread), and the [[Glossary of lichen terms#{{biology:{1}}}|{{Biology:{1}}}]] and medulla contain crystals that dissolve in potassium hydroxide solution (K). Apothecia are common, up to 2.0 mm across, with a brown to dark brown [[Glossary of lichen terms#{{biology:{1}}}|{{Biology:{1}}}]]. The ascospores are hyaline, simple, narrowly ellipsoid to fusiform, 5–10 × 1–2.5 μm. Pycnidia are also common (orange to brown and immersed), producing straight, rod-shaped conidia 6–12 × 1–1.5 μm. In terms of chemical spot tests, the thallus is K+ (yellow) and C−/KC−/PD−, with atranorin detected by thin-layer chromatography.

References

Wikidata ☰ Q108200126 entry