Alyxoria viridipruinosa

Alyxoria viridipruinosa
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Arthoniomycetes
Order: Arthoniales
Family: Lecanographaceae
Genus: Alyxoria
Species:
A. viridipruinosa
Binomial name
Alyxoria viridipruinosa
(Coppins & Yahr) Ertz (2012)
Synonyms[1]
  • Opegrapha viridipruinosa Coppins & Yahr (2011)

Alyxoria viridipruinosa is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) and lignicolous (wood-dwelling) lichen in the family Lecanographaceae.[2] It is found in Europe, where it grows on hardwood trees.

Taxonomy

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The lichen was first formally described as a new species in 2011 by lichenologists Brian Coppins and Rebecca Yahr. The type specimen was collected from Needham Market (Mid Suffolk, England), where it was found growing on the bark of Sambucus in a little-used, sheltered, chalk pit. The species epithet refers to the yellowish-green colour of the pruina visible on the discs and pycnidia.[3] Damien Ertz transferred the taxon to the genus Alyxoria in 2012.[4]

Description

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The lichen has a thin, grey-green, powdery thallus. Its ascomata are in the form of lirellae that are evenly distributed throughout the thallus, and typically measure 0.3–0.6 mm long and 0.1–0.3 mm wide. The mostly-exposed disc is dark brown and covered with a green pruina that turns yellow after being dried. The ascospores, which measure eight per ascus, are hyaline, usually have 4 or 5 septa, and typically measure 15–19 by 4–5 μm.[3]

Habitat and distribution

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In addition to England, Alyxoria viridipruinosa has also been recorded in Northern Ireland, Scotland,[3] Germany,[5] and the Netherlands.[6] It grows on a variety of hardwood trees, usually in secondary woodland, and often at forest edges.[3]

References

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  1. ^ "Synonymy. Current Name: Alyxoria viridipruinosa (Coppins & Yahr) Ertz, in Diederich, Ertz, Eichler, Cezanne, van den Boom, Fischer, Killmann, Van den Broeck & Sérusiaux, Bull. Soc. Nat. luxemb. 113: 105 (2012)". Species Fungorum. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  2. ^ "Alyxoria viridipruinosa (Coppins & Yahr) Ertz". Catalogue of Life. Species 2000: Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d Lumbsch, H.T.; Ahti, T.; Altermann, S.; De Paz, G.A.; Aptroot, A.; Arup, U.; et al. (2011). "One hundred new species of lichenized fungi: a signature of undiscovered global diversity". Phytotaxa. 18 (1). Magnolia Press: 90. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.18.1.1. hdl:11336/4198.
  4. ^ Diederich, P.; Ertz, D.; Eichler, M.; Cezanne, R.; van den Boom, P.; Fischer, E.; Killmann, D.; Van den Broeck, D.; Sérusiaux, E. (2012). "New or interesting lichens and lichenicolous fungi from Belgium, Luxembourg and northern France. XIV". Bulletin de la Société des Naturalistes Luxembourgeois. 113: 95–115 [105.
  5. ^ Litterski, Birgit; Dolnik, Christian; Neumann, Patrick; Schiefelbein, Ulf; Schultz, Matthias (2021). "Veränderungen der Flechtenflora auf dem Darß im Nationalpark Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft". Herzogia. 34 (2). doi:10.13158/heia.34.2.2021.354. S2CID 245465937.
  6. ^ Timmerman, H.; Aptroot, A. (2012). "Een recent uit Engeland beschreven sort, Opegrapha viridipruinosa (limoenschri mos), komt ook in Nederland voor" [A species recently described from England, Opegrapha viridipruinosa (lime script lichen), also occurs in the Netherlands]. Buxbaumiella (in Dutch). 93: 26–32.