Bactrospora littoralis Jagadeesh, 2014

Jagadeesh Ram, T. A. M., 2014, New species and new records in Roccellaceae (Arthoniales) from the Andaman Islands, India, Phytotaxa 177 (3), pp. 155-162 : 156

Bactrospora littoralis Jagadeesh , sp. nov. (Figs 1A, 2A & E–F) MycoBank no.: MB809893

Bactrospora with whitish,thin, endophloeodal thallus; I – and KI– excipulum; acicular, (5–)6–8(–9)-septate, 40–55 × 2–3 μm, Patellarioides - type ascospores .

Type: — INDIA. Andaman Islands : North Andaman, Lamia Bay seashore forest, elev. 10 m, 21 Apr. 2011, T. A. M . Jagadeesh Ram 230 (Holotype CAL) .

Thallus corticolous, endophloeodal, whitish, 2–3 cm across, continuous, smooth, effuse, thin, ecorticate, 18–48 μm thick; prothallus dark brown to black, forming a border line. Photobiont Trentepohlia . Ascomata lecideine, few to numerous, black, scattered, erumpent, adnate to sessile, constricted at base, ± rounded, 0.2–0.3 mm diam.; margin entire, slightly raised; disc concave to plane, epruinose. Excipulum dark brown, thin or open at base, 36–60 μm thick laterally, K + greenish brown, I – or I + pale orange, KI– or KI+ pale blue. Epihymenium brown to dark brown, 12–18 μm thick, K + greenish brown. Hymenium hyaline, not inspersed, 72–100 μm high, I – or I + pale orange, KI+ pale blue. Subhymenium pale brown to dark brown, 18–36 μm, I – or I + pale orange, KI+ pale blue. Hypothecium brown to dark brown, 26–52 μm thick, K + greenish brown. Paraphysoids dichotomously branched, sometimes weakly anastomosing, 1–1.5 μm wide; tips not thickened, branched and anastomosing. Asci clavate, 8-spored, Bactrospora - type, 60–72 × 10– 12 μm. Ascospores hyaline, Patellarioides - type, acicular, (5–)6–8(–9)-septate, fragile, 40–55 × 2–3 μm. Chemistry: Thallus K –, C –, KC–, P –, UV –; I – or I + pale orange, KI+ pale blue (in section); no lichen substances detected.

Notes: — Bactrospora littoralis is very close to B. inspersa Aptroot , which also has similar ascomata and 7-septate Patellarioides- type ascospores. Bactrospora inspersa Aptroot is distinct in KI+ deep blue excipulum/ hypothecium, inspersed hymenium and larger ascospores (65–80 × 4–5 μm). Bactrospora acicularis (C.W. Dodge) Egea & Torrente , B. arthonioides Egea & Torrente , B. denticulata (Vain.) Egea & Torrente , B. myriadea (Fée) Egea & Torrente and B. paludicola Kantvilas are the other species having KI– excipulum and subhymenium with Patellarioides- type ascospores, but all of these differ in having over 10-septate ascospores ( Egea & Torrente 1993, Kantvilas 2004, Aptroot et al. 2007).

Distribution and habitat: — Bactrospora littoralis is known from the somewhat disturbed seashore forest in the North Andaman. It has been found on a small tree intermixed with Enterographa divergens (Müll. Arg.) Redinger.

Etymology: —The specific epithet refers to the seashore occurrence.