Bryobilimbia austrosaxicola
| Bryobilimbia austrosaxicola | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Lecanoromycetes |
| Order: | Lecideales |
| Family: | Lecideaceae |
| Genus: | Bryobilimbia |
| Species: | B. austrosaxicola
|
| Binomial name | |
| Bryobilimbia austrosaxicola Fryday & Coppins (2014)
| |
| |
| Holotype: summit of Mount Azimuth on Campbell Island, New Zealand[1] | |
Bryobilimbia austrosaxicola is a species of crustose lichen within the family Lecideaceae.[2] This species is closely related to Bryobilimbia australis, distinguishable by its saxicolous (rock-dwelling) nature, presenting with a brown, rather than violaceous, epihymenium, and ascospores that have a single septum.
Taxonomy
[edit]The species was identified for the first time in New Zealand, specifically on Campbell Island, atop rock outcrops at the summit of Mount Azimuth, recorded at a height of 488 m (1,601 ft) on January 3, 1970, by Henry Imshaug. Alan Fryday and Brian Coppins formally described it as a new species in 2014.[1]
Bryobilimbia austrosaxicola is placed within the genus Bryobilimbia due to its similarities with B. australis and the presence of bacilliform (rod-shaped) conidia, a characteristic shared across the genus. Its differentiation from B. australis and other genus members is primarily through its saxicolous habit and consistently 1-septate ascospores. The suggestion to classify this taxon within the Lecidea hypnorum group came from Brian Coppins, hence his inclusion as an author of the species.[1]
Description
[edit]The lichen spreads over surfaces up to 5 cm across, forming a patchwork of pale grey, thin, angular areoles that are flat to slightly convex, each measuring between 0.2 and 0.3 mm. The core of the lichen, or medulla, does not produce a reaction with iodine. It has a primary photobiont of chlorococcoid nature, with cells measuring 5–9 μm in diameter, and a secondary photobiont that consists of small clumps of cyanobacteria, including both Stigonema, characterised by short, branched, yellow-brown filaments, and Gloeocapsa, noticeable for its groups of 2–4 cells within a reddish sheath.[1]
Apothecia (fruiting bodies) are common, black, and range from flat to convex, with a diameter of 1.0–1.5 mm. They are generally circular but can become angular when confluent. The hymenium, a tissue layer containing the spore-producing asci, is infused with a red-brown pigment, and paraphyses (filamentous structures among the asci) are sparse and simple. The asci themselves are cylindrical to clavate, housing hyaline (clear), 1-septate ascospores measuring 10–12 by 3.5–4.0 μm.[1]
Chemical analyses have not detected any secondary substances through thin-layer chromatography (TLC), and all standard chemical spot test reactions are negative.[1]
Habitat and distribution
[edit]This lichen's presence is only verified from three collections on Campbell Island, New Zealand, suggesting its rarity and specific habitat preference on mountainous sites. It tends to associate with a limited number of other species, including Placopsis sp. and Steinera radiata subsp. aucklandica.[1] In the 2018 edition of the Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous lichens and lichenicolous fungi, Bryobilimbia austrosaxicola appears for the first time, where it is given the status "island endemic".[3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g Fryday, Alan M.; Hertel, Hannes (2014). "A contribution to the family Lecideaceae s. lat. (Lecanoromycetidae inc. sed. , lichenized Ascomycota) in the southern subpolar region; including eight new species and some revised generic circumscriptions". The Lichenologist. 46 (3): 389–412. doi:10.1017/S0024282913000704.
- ^ "Bryobilimbia austrosaxicola Fryday & Coppins". Catalogue of Life. Species 2000: Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
- ^ de Lange, Peter; Dan, Blanchon; Knight, Allison; Elix, John; Lücking, Robert; Frogley, Kelly; Harris, Anna; Cooper, Jerry; Rolfe, Jeremy (2018). Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous lichens and lichenicolous fungi, 2018 (PDF) (Report). New Zealand Threat Classification Series 27. Wellington: Department of Conservation. p. 18.