| Splanchnonema lichenisatum | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Dothideomycetes |
| Order: | Pleosporales |
| Family: | Pleomassariaceae |
| Genus: | Splanchnonema |
| Species: | S. lichenisatum |
| Binomial name | |
| Splanchnonema lichenisatum Aptroot & K.H.Moon (2014) | |
Splanchnonema lichenisatum is a species of corticolous (bark-dwelling) lichen in the family Pleomassariaceae. Found in Korea, it was formally described as a new species in 2014 by Dutch lichenologist André Aptroot and Korean lichenologist Kwang-Hee Moon. The type specimen was collected by the first author from Mount Juwang (North Gyeongsang Province) at an altitude of about 350 m (1,150 ft); there, it was found growing on the bark of an ash tree.[1]
The lichen has a thin, pinkish-brown thallus that is immersed in the bark, and covers areas of up to about 5 cm (2 in) in diameter. It lacks a cortex and does not have a prothallus. Reactions to common chemical spot tests are negative, and no lichen products were detected using thin-layer chromatography. The photobiont partner of the lichen is a trentepohlioid green alga that is about 10 by 5 μm. Two of the most unique characteristics of the species are the presence of kidney-shaped (reniform), compound ascomata, and the lichenisation–which is quite rare in the genus Splanchnonema. Aptroot described it as "clearly, but not heavily, lichenized";[1] this facultative association of fungus with photobiont has been termed borderline lichen.[2]
References
- 1 2 Aptroot, André; Moon, Kwang Hee (2014). "114 New reports of microlichens from Korea, including the description of five new species, show that the microlichen flora is predominantly Eurasian". Herzogia. 27 (2): 347–365. doi:10.13158/heia.27.2.2014.347.
- ↑ Thiyagaraja, Vinodhini; Ertz, Damien; Lücking, Robert; Wanasinghe, Dhanushka N.; Aptroot, André; Cáceres, Marcela Eugenia da Silva; Hyde, Kevin D.; Tapingkae, Wanaporn; Cheewangkoon, Ratchadawan (2022). "Taxonomic and phylogenetic reassessment of Pyrgidium (Mycocaliciales) and investigation of ascospore morphology". Journal of Fungi. 8 (9): e966. doi:10.3390/jof8090966. PMC 9500946.